Trade names Diovan MedlinePlus a697015 Routes of
administration oral CAS ID 137862-53-4 Protein binding 95% | AHFS/Drugs.com Monograph License data US FDA: Valsartan Molar mass 435.519 g/mol Bioavailability 25% | |
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Pregnancy
category US: D (Evidence of risk) | ||
Diovan the brand name form of valsartan overview
Valsartan (trade name Diovan) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist (commonly called an ARB, or angiotensin receptor blocker), that is selective for the type I (AT1) angiotensin receptor. Valsartan is mainly used for treatment of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and to increase the chances of living longer after a heart attack.
Contents
Medical uses
Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and to reduce death for people with left ventricular dysfunction after having had a heart attack.
There is contradictory evidence with regard to treating people with heart failure with a combination of an angiotensin receptor blocker like valsartan and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, with two major clinical trials (CHARM-additive and ValHeFt) showing a reduction in death, and two others (VALIANT and ONTARGET) showing no benefits, and more adverse effects including heart attacks.
In people with type II diabetes and high blood pressure or albumin in the urine, valsartan is used to slow the worsening and the development end-stage renal disease.
Contraindications
The packaging for valsartan includes a warning stating the drug should not be used with the renin inhibitor aliskiren in people with diabetes mellitus. It also states the drug should not be used in people with kidney disease.
Valsartan falls in FDA pregnancy category D and includes a black box warning for fetal toxicity. Discontinuation of these agents is recommended immediately after detection of pregnancy and an alternative medication should be started. The US labeling makes no recommendation regarding continuation or discontinuation of valsartan for breast-feeding mothers. The Canadian labeling does not recommend use by nursing women.
Side effects
Rates of side effects depends on the reason the medication is used.
Heart failure
Rates of adverse effects are based on a comparison versus placebo in people with heart failure. Most common side effects include dizziness (17% vs 9% ), low blood pressure (7% vs 2%), and diarrhea (5% vs 4%). Less common side effects include joint pain, fatigue, and back pain (all 3% vs 2%).
Hypertension
Clinical trials for valsartan treatment for hypertension versus placebo demonstrate side effects like viral infection (3% vs 2%), fatigue (2% vs 1%) and abdominal pain (2% vs 1%). Minor side effects that occurred at >1% but were similar to rates from the placebo group include:
Interactions
The US prescribing information lists the following drug interactions for valsartan:
Mechanism of action
Valsartan blocks the actions of angiotensin II, which include constricting blood vessels and activating aldosterone, to reduce blood pressure. The drug binds to angiotensin type I receptors (AT1), working as an antagonist. This mechanism of action is different than the ACE inhibitor drugs, which block the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. Since valsartan acts at the receptor, it can provide more complete angiotensin II antagonism since angiotensin II is generated by other enzymes as well as ACE. Also, valsartan does not affect the metabolism of bradykinin like ACE inhibitors do.
Economics
In 2010, valsartan (trade name Diovan) achieved annual sales of $2.052 billion in the United States and $6.053 billion worldwide. The patents for valsartan and valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide expired in September 2012.
Research
In people with impaired glucose tolerance, valsartan may decrease the incidence of developing diabetes mellitus type 2. However, the absolute risk reduction is small (less than 1 percent per year) and diet, exercise or other drugs, may be more protective. In the same study, no reduction in the rate of cardiovascular events (including death) was shown.
In one study of people without diabetes, valsartan reduced the risk of developing diabetes mellitus over amlodipine, mainly for those with hypertensive.
A prospective study demonstrated a reduction in the incidence and progression of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Combination drugs
Amlodipine and valsartan is a combination drugs for hypertension. The combination is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old. For who have diabetes or kidney disease the combination drugs cannot be given with medication that contains aliskiren.