Omapatrilat provides long-term control of hypertension: a randomized trial of treatment withdrawal.

Omapatrilat simultaneously inhibits neutral endopeptidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme, increasing levels of vasodilatory peptides while decreasing production of angiotensin II. This study evaluated the clinical effects of withdrawal of omapatrilat after a patient's hypertension had been controlled (seated diastolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg) on omapatrilat for at least 6 months, with or without adjunctive antihypertensive medications. This double-blind study randomized 83 patients to receive either their established omapatrilat dose or placebo for 8 weeks; any concomitant antihypertensive medications were kept constant. Patients continuing on omapatrilat had no change in blood pressure. Patients whose chronic omapatrilat treatment was replaced by placebo had clinically important increases in both systolic (+16.5 mm Hg) and diastolic ((+9.6 mm Hg) blood pressures (both p<0.001). An increase in blood pressure was also seen in patients who were taking adjunctive antihypertensive medications prior to withdrawal of omapatrilat. This study demonstrates that when compared to withdrawal placebo, omapatrilat maintains clinically and statistically significant blood pressure reductions. Copyright 2002 Le Jacq