Conditions: Hypertension
Keywords: Hypertension, Aliskiren, Amlodipine
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Enrollment: 2694
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Evaluate the efficacy (blood pressure lowering effect) and safety of aliskiren alone and in combination with amlodipine in patients with essential hypertension.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 5 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 2: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 3: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 4: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 5: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. Amlodipine 10 mg arm starts with 1 week of Amlodipine 5 mg, then force titrated to 10 mg arm 6: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 7: 150/5 for 1 week, then up-titrated to 150/10 mg. Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 8: Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos. arm 9: 300/5 for 1 week, then up-titrated to 300/10 mg. Each dose was to be taken orally with water at approximately 8:00 A.M., except on the morning of the next office/clinic visit, when the study medication was to be taken at the site after the visit procedures were completed. In order to adequately blind the study, patients were required to take a total of 4 tablets and 1 capsule of study medication throughout the study; 4 of the 5 pills taken were placebos.

Interventions: intervention 1: Placebo intervention 2: Aliskiren 150 mg tablet intervention 3: Aliskiren 300 mg tablet intervention 4: Amlodipine 5 mg capsule intervention 5: Amlodipine 10 mg capsule intervention 6: Aliskiren/amlodipine 150/5 mg tablet intervention 7: Aliskiren/amlodipine 150/10 mg tablet intervention 8: Aliskiren/amlodipine 300/5 mg tablet intervention 9: Aliskiren/amlodipine 300/10 mg tablet
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None intervention 3: None intervention 4: None intervention 5: None intervention 6: None intervention 7: None intervention 8: None intervention 9: None

Protocol document: