Efficacy and Safety of Fimasartan Alone or Combined With HCTZ in Mexican Patients With Essential Hypertension

This was a prospective, open, multicentre, 24 week study of subjects with grade 1-2 essential hypertension eligible, according to the participating investigator's clinical judgement, to initial monotherapy. Consenting, eligible subjects at 13 Mexican participating centers were initially assigned to monotherapy with 60 mg FMS once a day. At treatment week 8, those subjects with a sDBP ≥90 mmHg were randomized to either 120 mg FMS or to 60 mg FMS + 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) once a day during 4 weeks. At treatment week 12, all non-responding subjects were finally assigned to 120 mg FMS + 12.5 mg HCTZ for the remaining 12 weeks of the planned 24 week treatment period. At treatment weeks 8 and 12, those subjects with a sDBP \< 90 mmHg remained on their assigned treatment for the rest of the study. This cohort study was designed to collect information on treatment effect (blood pressure changes from baseline/reference time and treatment response rates), and safety (i.e., incidence and characterization of clinical, laboratory and ECG adverse events); accordingly, subjects were assessed at treatment weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 in terms of vital signs, clinical laboratory safety parameters, concomitant medications and adverse events. 12-lead ECG recordings were obtained from all subjects both at screening and at treatment week 24 and a subset of 11 subjects underwent both baseline and treatment week 8 24-hour ABPM recordings.