Valsartan pharmacokinetics in patients with controlled and uncontrolled arterial hypertension

Relevance . Arterial hypertension (AH) is widespread throughout the world. Unfortunately, only a small proportion of patients achieve target blood pressure (BP). One of the possible reasons for the ineffectiveness of AH treatment is the pharmacokinetics of antihypertensive drugs. Objective . To test valsartan pharmacokinetics in patients with AH. Material and methods . An open cohort study was conducted. The analysis included 28 patients, including 15 (53.6 %) with uncontrolled AH. All patients regularly took valsartan, amlodipine, indapamide for a month. In the morning before and 2 hours after taking valsartan, venous blood samples were taken from all patients to assess its concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Results . Patients of the two groups were comparable in terms of major comorbidities. C 0h and C 2h of valsartan did not statistically differ in patients with controlled and uncontrolled AH. In 39.3 % of patients, C 0h and C 2h of valsartan were within the therapeutic range (TD). In 50 % of patients, C 0h did not reach the lower limit of TD, and in three patients, the concentration of valsartan exceeded the upper limit of TD, in one of them it exceeded the upper limit of TD almost three times. In 13 patients for whom valsartan was not recommended, it was found in trace amounts. Conclusion . Thus, to improve the efficacy and safety of valsartan therapy, it is advisable to monitor its concentration in the blood serum.