Openvas Plus

Treatment of essential hypertension.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg fixed dose combinations are indicated in adult patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on olmesartan medoxomil 40 mg alone.

Posology

Adults

The recommended dose of Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg or 40 mg/25 mg is 1 tablet per day.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg may be administered in patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled by olmesartan medoxomil 40 mg alone.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/25 mg may be administered in patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg fixed dose combination.

For convenience, patients receiving olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide from separate tablets may be switched to Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg tablets containing the same component doses.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg can be taken with or without food.

Elderly (age 65 years or over)

In elderly people the same dosage of the combination is recommended as for adults.

Blood pressure should be closely monitored.

Renal impairment

Openvas Plus is contraindicated in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min).

The maximum dose of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance of 30 - 60 mL/min) is 20 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily, owing to limited experience of higher dosages in this patient group, and periodic monitoring is advised.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg is therefore contraindicated in all stages of renal impairment.

Hepatic impairment

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg should be used with caution in patients with mild hepatic impairment. Close monitoring of blood pressure and renal function is advised in hepatically-impaired patients who are receiving diuretics and/or other antihypertensive agents. In patients with moderate hepatic impairment, an initial dose of 10 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily is recommended and the maximum dose should not exceed 20 mg once daily. There is no experience of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg therefore should not be used in patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment , as well as in cholestasis and biliary obstruction.

Paediatric population

The safety and efficacy of Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg in children and adolescents below 18 years has not been established. No data are available.

Method of administration

The tablet should be swallowed with a sufficient amount of fluid (e.g. one glass of water). The tablet should not be chewed and should be taken at the same time each day.

Renal impairment.

Refractory hypokalaemia, hypercalcaemia, hyponatraemia and symptomatic hyperuricaemia.

Moderate and severe hepatic impairment, cholestasis and biliary obstructive disorders.

2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

The concomitant use of Openvas Plus with aliskiren-containing products is contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus or renal impairment (GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²).

Intravascular volume depletion:

Symptomatic hypotension, especially after the first dose, may occur in patients who are volume and/or sodium depleted by vigorous diuretic therapy, dietary salt restriction, diarrhoea or vomiting. Such conditions should be corrected before the administration of Openvas Plus.

Other conditions with stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system:

In patients whose vascular tone and renal function depend predominantly on the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (e.g. patients with severe congestive heart failure or underlying renal disease, including renal artery stenosis), treatment with medicinal products that affect this system has been associated with acute hypotension, azotaemia, oliguria or, rarely, acute renal failure.

Renovascular hypertension:

There is an increased risk of severe hypotension and renal insufficiency when patients with bilateral renal artery stenosis or stenosis of the artery to a single functioning kidney are treated with medicinal products that affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

Renal impairment and kidney transplantation:

Openvas Plus should not be used in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min).

The maximum dose of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance of 30 - 60 mL/min) is 20 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily. However, in such patients Openvas Plus 20 mg/12.5 mg and 20 mg/25 mg should be administered with caution and periodic monitoring of serum potassium, creatinine and uric acid levels is recommended. Thiazide diuretic-associated azotaemia may occur in patients with impaired renal function. If progressive renal impairment becomes evident, careful reappraisal of therapy is necessary, with consideration given to discontinuing diuretic therapy.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg is therefore contraindicated in all stages of renal impairment.

There is no experience of the administration of Openvas Plus in patients with a recent kidney transplantation.

Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS):

There is evidence that the concomitant use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren increases the risk of hypotension, hyperkalaemia and decreased renal function (including acute renal failure). Dual blockade of RAAS through the combined use of ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers or aliskiren is therefore not recommended.

If dual blockade therapy is considered absolutely necessary, this should only occur under specialist supervision and subject to frequent close monitoring of renal function, electrolytes and blood pressure.

ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers should not be used concomitantly in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Hepatic impairment:

There is currently no experience of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe hepatic impairment. In patients with moderate hepatic impairment, the maximum dose is 20 mg olmesartan medoxomil.

Furthermore, minor alterations of fluid and electrolyte balance during thiazide therapy may precipitate hepatic coma in patients with impaired hepatic function or progressive liver disease.

Therefore the use of Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg in patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment, cholestasis and biliary obstruction is contraindicated. Care should be taken in patients with mild impairment.

Aortic and mitral valve stenosis, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:

As with other vasodilators, special caution is indicated in patients suffering from aortic or mitral stenosis, or obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Primary aldosteronism:

Patients with primary aldosteronism generally will not respond to anti-hypertensive medicinal products acting through inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system. Therefore, the use of Openvas Plus is not recommended in such patients.

Metabolic and endocrine effects:

Thiazide therapy may impair glucose tolerance. In diabetic patients dosage adjustments of insulin or oral hypoglycaemic agents may be required. Latent diabetes mellitus may become manifest during thiazide therapy.

Increases in cholesterol and triglyceride levels are undesirable effects known to be associated with thiazide diuretic therapy.

Hyperuricaemia may occur or frank gout may be precipitated in some patients receiving thiazide therapy.

Electrolyte imbalance:

As for any patient receiving diuretic therapy, periodic determination of serum electrolytes should be performed at appropriate intervals.

Thiazides, including hydrochlorothiazide, can cause fluid or electrolyte imbalance (including hypokalaemia, hyponatraemia and hypochloraemic alkalosis). Warning signs of fluid or electrolyte imbalance are dryness of the mouth, thirst, weakness, lethargy, drowsiness, restlessness, muscle pain or cramps, muscular fatigue, hypotension, oliguria, tachycardia, and gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea or vomiting.

The risk of hypokalaemia is greatest in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, in patients experiencing brisk diuresis, in patients who are receiving inadequate oral intake of electrolytes and in patients receiving concomitant therapy with corticosteroids or ACTH.

Conversely, due to antagonism at the angiotensin-II receptors (AT₁) through the olmesartan medoxomil component of Openvas Plus hyperkalaemia may occur, especially in the presence of renal impairment and/or heart failure, and diabetes mellitus. Adequate monitoring of serum potassium in patients at risk is recommended. Potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements or potassium-containing salt substitutes and other medicinal products that may increase serum potassium levels (e.g. heparin) should be co-administered cautiously with Openvas Plus.

There is no evidence that olmesartan medoxomil would reduce or prevent diuretic-induced hyponatraemia. Chloride deficit is generally mild and usually does not require treatment.

Thiazides may decrease urinary calcium excretion and cause an intermittent and slight elevation of serum calcium in the absence of known disorders of calcium metabolism. Hypercalcaemia may be evidence of hidden hyperparathyroidism. Thiazides should be discontinued before carrying out tests for parathyroid function.

Thiazides have been shown to increase the urinary excretion of magnesium, which may result in hypomagnesaemia.

Dilutional hyponatraemia may occur in oedematous patients in hot weather.

Lithium:

As with other angiotensin II receptor antagonists, the coadministration of Openvas Plus and lithium is not recommended.

Sprue-like enteropathy:

In very rare cases severe, chronic diarrhoea with substantial weight loss has been reported in patients taking olmesartan few months to years after drug initiation, possibly caused by a localized delayed hypersensitivity reaction. Intestinal biopsies of patients often demonstrated villous atrophy. If a patient develops these symptoms during treatment with olmesartan, and in the absence of other apparent etiologies, olmesartan treatment should be immediately discontinued and should not be restarted. If diarrhoea does not improve during the week after the discontinuation, further specialist (e.g. a gastro-enterologist) advice should be considered.

Acute Myopia and Secondary Angle-Closure Glaucoma:

Hydrochlorothiazide, a sulfonamide, can cause an idiosyncratic reaction, resulting in acute transient myopia and acute angle-closure glaucoma. Symptoms include acute onset of decreased visual acuity or ocular pain and typically occur within hours to weeks of drug initiation. Untreated acute angle-closure glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss. The primary treatment is to discontinue hydrochlorothiazide as rapidly as possible. Prompt medical or surgical treatments may need to be considered if the intraocular pressure remains uncontrolled. Risk factors for developing acute angle-closure glaucoma may include a history of sulfonamide or penicillin allergy.

Ethnic differences:

As with all other angiotensin II receptor antagonist containing products, the blood pressure lowering effect of Openvas Plus is somewhat less in black patients than in non-black patients, possibly because of a higher prevalence of low-renin status in the black hypertensive population.

Anti-doping test:

Hydrochlorothiazide contained in this medicinal product could produce a positive analytic result in an anti-doping test.

Pregnancy:

Angiotensin II receptor antagonists should not be initiated during pregnancy. Unless continued angiotensin II receptor antagonists therapy is considered essential, patients planning pregnancy should be changed to alternative anti-hypertensive treatments which have an established safety profile for use in pregnancy. When pregnancy is diagnosed, treatment with angiotensin II receptor antagonists should be stopped immediately, and, if appropriate, alternative therapy should be started.

Other:

As with any antihypertensive agent, excessive blood pressure decrease in patients with ischaemic heart disease or ischaemic cerebrovascular disease could result in a myocardial infarction or stroke.

Hypersensitivity reactions to hydrochlorothiazide may occur in patients with or without a history of allergy or bronchial asthma, but are more likely in patients with such a history.

Exacerbation or activation of systemic lupus erythematosus has been reported with the use of thiazide diuretics.

This medicinal product contains lactose. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp-lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicinal product.

Openvas Plus 40 mg/12.5 mg and 40 mg/25 mg has minor or moderate influence on the ability to drive and use machines. Dizziness or fatigue may occasionally occur in patients taking antihypertensive therapy, which may impair the ability to react.