CONSENSUS ON OLMESARTAN IN HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT: CLINICAL BENEFITS AND EXPERT INSIGHTS FROM INDIA

Objective: The consensus initiative aimed to develop expert agreement on Olmesartan’s role in hypertension management, emphasizing its key therapeutic benefits and identifying challenges such as clinical inertia and gaps in care across IndiaDesign and method: The OPTIMUS (Optimizing Olmesartan Utilization in Hypertension) consensus meeting involved 15 hypertension experts, with over 450 man-years of cumulative clinical experience. Participants rated 15 questions related to various clinical statements related to Olmesartan using a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad 10.3.0, with strong consensus defined as a weighted score greater than 100. Results: The perception mapping exercise and insights highlights a strong consensus on the clinical utility of Olmesartan in hypertension management. Physician adherence to treatment guidelines emerged as a primary barrier, with clinical inertia significantly impacting effective blood pressure control (score: 125.6). Gaps in hypertension care, especially at the district level in India (score: 123.3), further highlight the need for localized interventions. Olmesartan was highly rated for its antihypertensive efficacy in Indian patients, including those with diabetes (score: 121.7), and its ability to delay microalbuminuria onset and sustain nocturnal blood pressure control in type 2 diabetes (score: 121.7). Additional findings reflected Olmesartan’s effectiveness in older patients when co-administered with amlodipine (score: 121.3) and its role in providing smooth, stable 24-hour blood pressure control (score: 120.0). With a robust 25-year evidence base (score: 119.1) and established vascular protection, Olmesartan is positioned as a benchmark ARB, offering comprehensive therapeutic benefits in hypertension management. The overall mean response scores were: agree: 73±24 (95% CI 59 to 89), strongly agree: 25±20 (95% CI 14 to 36), p<0.0001 Conclusions: These findings highlight a robust consensus on the efficacy of Olmesartan in managing hypertension, particularly among Indian patients, with added benefits in mitigating diabetes-related microalbuminuria and reducing vascular events. Addressing hypertension care gaps and clinical inertia among physicians is essential to optimize therapeutic outcomes. Olmesartan’s consistent 24-hour antihypertensive efficacy reinforces its position as a benchmark ARB.