Patients with acute coronary syndromes and elevated levels of natriuretic peptides: the results of the AVANT GARDE-TIMI 43 Trial.

AIMS: Elevated natriuretic peptides (NPs) are associated with an increased cardiovascular risk following acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). However, the therapeutic implications are still undefined. We hypothesized that early inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients with preserved left ventricular function but elevated NPs but following ACS would reduce haemodynamic stress as reflected by a greater reduction NP compared with placebo. METHODS AND RESULTS: AVANT GARDE-TIMI 43 trial, a multinational, double-blind trial, randomized 1101 patients stabilized after ACS without clinical evidence of heart failure or left ventricular function

Long-term antihypertensive efficacy and safety of the oral direct renin inhibitor aliskiren: a 12-month randomized, double-blind comparator trial with hydrochlorothiazide.

BACKGROUND: Diuretics are recommended as first-line agents for the treatment of hypertension. This randomized, double-blind, multicenter study assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren in comparison with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide in patients with essential hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: After a 2- to 4-week placebo run-in, 1124 patients (mean sitting diastolic blood pressure [BP] 95 to 109 mm Hg) were randomized to aliskiren 150 mg (n=459), hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg (n=444), or placebo (n=221) once daily. Forced titration (to aliskiren 300 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg) occurred at week 3; at week 6, patients receiving placebo were reassigned (1:1 ratio) to aliskiren 300 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg. From week 12, amlodipine 5 mg was added and titrated to 10 mg from week 18 for patients whose BP remained uncontrolled. Efficacy variables were analyzed for the intent-to-treat population with the use of the last observation carried forward method. BP reductions (mean sitting systolic BP/mean sitting diastolic BP) were significantly greater with aliskiren- versus hydrochlorothiazide-based treatment at week 26 (-20.3/-14.2 versus -18.6/-13.0 mm Hg; P<0.05) and were also greater at week 52 (-22.1/-16.0 versus -21.2/-15.0 mm Hg; P<0.05 for mean sitting diastolic BP). At the end of the monotherapy period (week 12), aliskiren 300 mg was superior to hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg in reducing BP (-17.4/-12.2 versus -14.7/-10.3 mm H; P<0.001). Adverse event rates were similar with aliskiren- (65.2%) and hydrochlorothiazide-based therapy (61.5%). Hypokalemia was more frequent with hydrochlorothiazide-based therapy than aliskiren-based therapy (17.9% versus 0.9%; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Aliskiren treatment, both as monotherapy and with optional addition of amlodipine, provided significantly greater BP reductions than the respective hydrochlorothiazide regimens. Aliskiren-based therapy was well tolerated. Direct renin inhibition with aliskiren therefore represents an effective option for the long-term treatment of essential hypertension.

A study of the pharmacokinetic interactions of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren with metformin, pioglitazone and fenofibrate in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Hypertension and type 2 diabetes are common comorbidities, thus many patients receiving antihypertensive medication require concomitant therapy with hypoglycemic or lipid-lowering drugs. The aim of these three studies was to investigate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor for the treatment of hypertension, co-administered with the glucose-lowering agents metformin or pioglitazone or the lipid-lowering agent fenofibrate in healthy volunteers. METHODS: In three open-label, multiple-dose studies, healthy volunteers (ages 18 to 45 years) received once-daily treatment with either metformin 1000 mg (n = 22), pioglitazone 45 mg (n = 30) or fenofibrate 200 mg (n = 21) and aliskiren 300 mg, administered alone or co-administered in a two-period study design. Blood samples were taken frequently on the last day of each treatment period to determine plasma drug concentrations. RESULTS: Co-administration of aliskiren with metformin decreased aliskiren area under the plasma concentration- time curve during the dose interval (AUC(tau)) by 27% (geometric mean ratio [GMR] 0.73; 90% confidence interval [CI] 0.64, 0.84) and maximum observed plasma concentration (C(max)) by 29% (GMR 0.71; 90% CI 0.56, 0.89) but these changes were not considered clinically relevant. Co-administration of aliskiren with fenofibrate had no effect on aliskiren AUC (GMR 1.05; 90% CI 0.96, 1.16) or C(max) (GMR 1.05; 90% CI 0.80, 1.38); similarly, co-administration of aliskiren with pioglitazone had no effect on aliskiren AUC(tau) (GMR 1.05; 90% CI 0.98, 1.13) or C(max) (GMR 1.01; 90% CI 0.84, 1.20). All other AUC and C(max) GMRs for aliskiren, metformin, pioglitazone, ketopioglitazone, hydroxypioglita-zone and fenofibrate were close to unity and the 90% CI were contained within the bioequivalence range of 0.80 to 1.25. CONCLUSION: Co-administration of aliskiren with metformin, pioglitazone or fenofibrate had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of these drugs in healthy volunteers. These findings indicate that aliskiren can be co-administered with metformin, pioglitazone or fenofibrate without the need for dose adjustment.

Antihypertensive efficacy of the oral direct renin inhibitor aliskiren as add-on therapy in patients not responding to amlodipine monotherapy.

This study investigated the addition of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren to amlodipine in patients with mild to moderate hypertension that was inadequately controlled with amlodipine alone. Following once-daily treatment with amlodipine 5 mg for 4 weeks, patients whose hypertension responded inadequately to therapy (mean sitting diastolic blood pressure [DBP] 90-109 mm Hg) (n=545) were randomized to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with amlodipine 5 mg plus aliskiren 150 mg, amlodipine 5 mg, or amlodipine 10 mg. At the study's end, mean systolic blood pressure and DBP reductions with the combination of aliskiren 150 mg and amlodipine 5 mg (11.0/8.5 mm Hg) were significantly greater (P<.0001) than with amlodipine 5 mg (5.0/4.8 mm Hg)--the comparator group--but similar to amlodipine 10 mg (9.6/8.0 mm Hg). All treatments were well tolerated. Edema occurred more frequently with amlodipine 10 mg (11.2%) than with combination therapy (2.1%) or amlodipine 5 mg (3.4%). In conclusion, aliskiren 150 mg plus amlodipine 5 mg shows similar but not better blood pressure-lowering efficacy when compared with amlodipine 10 mg in patients not completely responsive to amlodipine 5 mg; less edema was noted with combination therapy.

Dose-proportional pharmacokinetics of d-threo-methylphenidate after a repeated-action release dosage form.

A bimodal extended-release formulation of d-methylphenidate (d-MPH) has been developed to enable fast onset of action and once-daily administration in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The authors studied the dose proportionality of extended-release d-MPH pharmacokinetics. Twenty-five healthy adult volunteers received 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg d-MPH in a crossover study with 7 days between doses. All doses were well tolerated. Dose proportionality was shown for all dose-dependent pharmacokinetic parameters. Geometric means (%gCV) for the first Cmax peak, Cmax0-4, were 3.25 (29.0%), 6.05 (27.1%), 12.6 (31.9%), 18.5 (31.9%), and 25.2 ng/mL (29.3%) for d-MPH 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg, respectively. Geometric means (%gCV) for Cmax4-10 were 3.18 (27.5%), 5.84 (27.7%), 12.5 (31.7%), 17.7 (31.6%), and 23.6 ng/mL (29.0%), respectively. Geometric means for AUC(0-infinity) were 24.3 (30.7%), 45.9 (30.2%), 96.4 (35.5%), 144 (33.3%), and 195 ng x h/mL (30.9%), respectively. The pharmacokinetics of once-daily extended-release d-MPH are proportional to the dose.

Aliskiren exhibits similar pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The renin system is an attractive target for antihypertensive therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus. However, diabetes is associated with changes in gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic function that may affect the absorption and disposition of oral drugs. This study compared the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the orally active direct renin inhibitor, aliskiren, in healthy volunteers and patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This was an open-label study conducted in 30 patients with type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy volunteers matched for age, bodyweight and race. Following a 10-hour fast, all participants received a single oral dose of aliskiren 300mg. Blood samples were taken at frequent intervals for 96 hours post-dose for determination of plasma concentrations of aliskiren (using a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy method). Plasma renin activity (PRA) and renin concentration (RC) were also measured for 24 hours after dosing. RESULTS: Aliskiren exhibited similar pharmacokinetics in patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy volunteers. Exposure to aliskiren was slightly higher in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with healthy volunteers (mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hours 1859 vs 1642 ng . h/mL; maximum observed plasma drug concentration 394 vs 348 ng/mL), while apparent clearance corrected for bioavailability was slightly lower (205 vs 234 L/h) and elimination half-life slightly longer (44 vs 39.9 hours), but there were no statistically significant differences for any pharmacokinetic parameters. There was no significant correlation between glycaemic control (% glycosylated haemoglobin) and any of the measured pharmacokinetic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. Aliskiren caused sustained suppression of PRA for at least 24 hours after dosing despite increasing RC; there were no major differences in the pharmacodynamic effects of aliskiren between patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy volunteers. Aliskiren was well tolerated in both patient groups, with no clinically significant changes in laboratory values and a low risk of adverse events. CONCLUSION: Aliskiren showed a similar pharmacokinetic profile in healthy volunteers and patients with type 2 diabetes, and administration of a single oral 300 mg dose of aliskiren was well tolerated by both patients and healthy volunteers. The pharmacodynamic effects of aliskiren were also similar in healthy volunteers and diabetic patients, with sustained inhibition of renin system activity observed for at least 24 hours after dosing.