Conditions: Hypertension Cardiac Transplantation
Keywords: Hypertension Cardiac transplantation Aliskiren Cyclosporine
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 1
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the blood pressure medication, aliskiren, in heart transplant patients. In terms of safety, the investigators will evaluate the blood levels of aliskiren and determine if aliskiren alters the blood levels of the anti-rejection medication, cyclosporine, in these patients. In terms of efficacy, the investigators will determine how well aliskiren lowers blood pressure in heart transplant patients.

Detailed description:
Hypertension is a major complication following cardiac transplantation, with a prevalence of 93% at 5 years post-transplant. Post-cardiac transplant hypertension is due to multiple factors such as use of cyclosporine, chronic kidney disease, and denervation. Hypertension in this population is difficult to treat, and most patients require therapy with multiple antihypertensive agents in order to achieve adequate blood pressure control. Aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor, is a novel antihypertensive agent with a unique mechanism of action and potent blood pressure-lowering effects. As such, aliskiren is an attractive treatment option for post-cardiac transplant hypertension. This study will characterize the pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction profile, pharmacodynamics, and safety of aliskiren 75 mg daily (low-dose) and 150 mg daily, when given in combination with cyclosporine, in cardiac transplant patients.

Arms:
arm 1: Aliskiren 75 mg once daily x 2 weeks, then aliskiren 150 mg once daily x 2 weeks, if blood pressure allows

Interventions: intervention 1: Aliskiren
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Aliskiren 75 mg once daily x 2 weeks, then aliskiren 150 mg once daily x 2 weeks, if blood pressure allows

Protocol document: