Clinical efficacy and safety of telmisartan 80 mg once daily compared with enalapril 20 mg once daily in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension: results of a multicentre study

Summary The efficacy and safety of once‐daily telmisartan 80 mg vs. once‐daily enalapril 20 mg in the treatment of essential hypertension were evaluated in a multicentre, single‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomised trial. In total, 68 patients (49 females, 19 males) with mild‐to‐moderate hypertension, defined as morning supine systolic blood pressure (SBP) 141–149 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 95–114 mmHg, were enrolled. After a 4‐week placebo run‐in phase, patients were randomly assigned to treatment with telmisartan or enalapril administered once daily in the morning for 8 weeks. No statistically significant differences were found in the baseline characteristics of patients in either group. Both SBP and DBP were decreased in both treatment groups, but the reductions were statistically different in favour of telmisartan (SBP, p = 0.013; DBP, p = 0.002). The incidence of adverse effects was lower in the telmisartan group, with the absence of cough. In conclusion, telmisartan is more effective and better tolerated than enalapril for the treatment of hypertension and has the advantage that it does not cause cough.