[A first drug combination for the treatment of arterial hypertension with a calcium channel antagonist (amlodipine besylate) and an angiotensin receptor blocker (valsartan): Exforge].

Hypertension is a common treatable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Even when identified and treated, most patients with hypertension do not get to blood pressure goal and they often need at least two antihypertensive agents to achieve blood pressure control. Although various combination therapies are currently available for the treatment of hypertension, development of more powerful therapies is necessary to help implement guideline recommendations that call for more aggressive treatment options and early blood pressure control. Amlodipine/valsartan (Exforge) is a new combination of antihypertensive agents that lower blood pressure via calcium channel blockade and angiotensin receptor antagonism. This potent dual mechanism of action is also likely to attenuate compound-specific adverse events, such as amlodipine-related peripheral oedema. Currently available data show that such a combination is a well-tolerated treatment that gets different kinds of patients with all grades of hypertension to their blood pressure goal.