Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Objective: The survey was intended to gather expert opinion on the prescription patterns of telmisartan and its combinations for the management of Hypertension.
Methodology: The cross-sectional, multi-response questionnaire-based survey involving 24 questions collected perspectives of experts across various India settings regarding the usage of telmisartan and its combinations for the management of Hypertension in their clinical practice.
Results: The survey, which included 651 experts, revealed that the majority of clinicians (82%) favored angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) as the primary choice for treating Hypertension. Among ARBs, telmisartan was the predominant choice in clinical practice, preferred by 97% of the respondents. Most of the experts (85%) preferred fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy for Hypertension management with two or more drugs. According to 30% and 28% of clinicians, FDC therapy reduced pill burden and enhanced patient adherence, respectively. Additionally, 60% favored FDC therapy for patients with uncontrolled Hypertension. Sixty-one percent of clinicians preferred telmisartan combined with amlodipine as the preferred calcium channel blocker (CCB), while 60% favored chlorthalidone as the preferred diuretic alongside telmisartan. In patients with Hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD), 62% of the clinicians preferred the combination of telmisartan with metoprolol. Most of the experts (63%) preferred the triple-drug combination of telmisartan, a CCB, and a beta-blocker for managing Hypertension in young patients at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, 47% of clinicians favored a triple-drug combination comprising telmisartan, a CCB, and a diuretic in their clinical practice.
Conclusion: Telmisartan emerged as the favored first-line treatment among clinicians due to its enhanced efficacy and widespread utilization. Specific combinations, such as telmisartan with amlodipine or chlorthalidone, and telmisartan combined with metoprolol were preferred for patients with Hypertension and CAD. Clinicians preferred the triple-drug combination of telmisartan, a calcium channel blocker, and a beta blocker for managing Hypertension in young patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, and a significant proportion of clinicians also favored telmisartan, a calcium channel blocker, and a diuretic triple-drug combination in clinical practice.