Keywords: Hypertension, Telmisartan, Amlodipine, Valsartan, Novartis, Market, USA, Europe, Fixed-dose combinations

Fixed-dose combo of telmisartan/amlodipine “will become clinical gold standard for hypertension” in 2013

Article | 8 January 2010

• Print This

A hypertension drug that requires less-frequent dosing than Novartis's Diovan/Tareg (valsartan) would earn 30% patient share according to surveyed US cardiologists. Similarly, in Europe, such an agent would earn comparable patient share of 25% according to surveyed European cardiologists. These patient shares are significantly higher than Diovan/Tareg's current patient share (6.1%) and are higher than the patient share achieved by any current hypertension drug, states a new report from Decision Resources.

"In the crowded hypertension market, 25% to 30% patient shares are unlikely reached without any evidence of long-term clinical benefit. However, the magnitude of these estimates indicate cardiologists' concern about patient compliance to therapy and their desire for a novel drug that requires less-frequent dosing than Diovan/Tareg, as long as this agent has similar cardioprotective effects as Diovan/Tareg," stated Decision Resources therapeutic area director Nikhil Mehta.

Enjoying this article? Have the leading Biopharma news & analysis delivered daily on email by signing up for our FREE email newsletter here.

The report, titled Hypertension: Among Fixed-Dose Combination Agents, AIIRA/CCBs Stand Out for Their Superior Efficacy and Safety, also finds that the fixed-dose combination telmisartan/amlodipine will earn Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold standard status for hypertension in 2013 and through 2018 following its approval for the disease. Telmisartan/ amlodipine has competitive advantages over other emerging therapies because it combines an effective angiotensin II receptor antagonist (AIIRA) - telmisartan - with a calcium-channel blocker (CCB) - amlodipine. Combination of an AIIRA and a CCB provides superior efficacy and safety compared with other fixed-dose combinations.

"We expect telmisartan/amlodipine to remain the clinical gold standard through 2018 because there are no other emerging agents expected to launch during this time that will have a clinical profile superior to this AIIRA/CCB combination," added Mr Mehta.