Filipinos, other Asians benefit from telmisartan

The Ongoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial (ONTARGET) showed very promising results in Asian patients, as well as non-Asian patients, at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The findings were presented recently at the 19th Great Wall-International Cardiology Congress (GW-ICC) in Beijing, China.

A thorough sub-group analysis of the results from the landmark trial shows that in high-risk Asian patients, telmisartan 80mg is as effective as, and significantly better tolerated than, ramipril 10mg in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke and hospitalization for congestive heart failure.

Telmisartan and ramipril were shown to be equally protective both in Asian and non-Asian subjects enrolled in the study. 

As in the whole study, telmisartan was significantly better tolerated than ramipril in the Asian population, with 19.9 percent of patients stopping their treatment due to intolerable side-effects with ramipril compared with only 14.4 percent of patients treated with telmisartan.

“The new ONTARGET data are very important for treatment of Asian patients at risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Antonio Miguel Dans, ONTARGET coordinator for the Philippines.  He added that long-term efficacy and tolerability of treatment in these patients is of prime importance to ensure that they remain on their medication and are well protected.

Considered one of the most significant landmark trials of the decade, ONTARGET involved over 25,620 patients worldwide, including more than 3,000 patients from 79 centers across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Philippines was actively involved in the trial. Other centers included China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Patients enrolled in the study were already receiving standard care such as statins, antiplatelet therapy and also betablockers and other antihypertensive treatment.

Although both telmisartan and ramipril are antihypertensive medications, the ONTARGET was not about its blood pressure-lowering efficacy but about the two drugs’ ability to lower CVD risk. 

Dans also pointed out that a higher proportion of Asians achieved the full-dose treatment of telmisartan and ramipril, contrary to popular misconception that Asians should only receive smaller doses of drugs due to some tolerability issues. 

The ONTARGET has proven this to be untrue. Based on the results, 87.6 percent of Asians in the telmisartan group achieved the full dose, while 77.9 percent achieved the full dose of ramipril.