Telmisartan in the hypertension treatment: from pharmacological characteristics to clinical benefits

The current study describes pharmacological features and benefits of using the angiotensin II receptor blocker telmisartan in actual clinical practice. This bifunctional agent has a number of unique pharmacokinetic features: the longest duration of action, high lipophilicity and maximum efficiency in PPARy activation. The results of numerous studies confirmed the high efficacy of telmisartan and the ability to control blood pressure during the day and the early-morning hours compared to other antihypertensive drugs. The main pleutrophic effects of telmisartan have been proven at most stages of the cardiovascular and renal continuum, the main of which are a decrease in insulin resistance, an adiponectin levels increase, an improvement of endothelial function, angioprotective and renoprotective effects, and the regression of left ventricular hypertrophy. The ability of telmisartan to improve prognosis of patients with high cardiovascular risk and to reduce mortality and the number of cardiovascular complications has been proven. Based on the data of large-scale studies, the possibilities of using telmisartan (80 mg/day) were considered, including in combination with hydrochlorothiazide, as the most effective dual fixed-dose combination and one of the main modern antihypertensive strategies.