Use of aliskiren in a 'real-life' model of hypertension management: analysis of national Web-based drug-monitoring system in Italy.

Introduction: In Italy, prescriptions of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren (aliskiren) to high-risk hypertensive patients must be electronically filled by specialized physicians only when at least two antihypertensive drug classes (independently of the dosages), fails to normalize blood pressure (BP) levels.

Aim: To analyze the effects of the addition of aliskiren 150-300 mg daily to antihypertensive therapy in a population of high cardiovascular risk hypertensive patients with uncontrolled BP levels.

Methods: Clinical data were derived from patients included in the national Web-based drug-monitoring system.