Olmesartan treatment in people with chronic high blood pressure

Sartans are tablets taken daily by people with chronic high blood pressure with no discernible cause. Olmesartan, a medicine that is frequently used to reduce elevated blood pressure, was suspected of causing undesirable side effects. Furthermore, it is not known whether the medicine helps patients live longer or if fewer cases of disease occur. This report compares the safety, efficacy and cost of olmesartan treatment with the other sartan treatments available in Switzerland. It also reviews the ethical, social and organisational consequences of a decision to stop reimbursing olmesartan.

The medical review covers 72 studies. However, the foreign studies could not be applied to Switzerland for the purposes of the cost comparison. A custom computer model for Switzerland was created. This used data from a long-term study and simulated financial scenarios. The medical comparative studies showed that olmesartan exhibited the same or even better efficacy than the other sartan treatments in reducing both upper and lower blood pressure values. In addition, all sartan treatments involved similar risks. The results of various studies did not unequivocally confirm the suspected elevated risk of bowel inflammation associated with olmesartan.

The report concludes that olmesartan achieves a similar or better effect than other sartan treatments and that the risks are also similar. One cost-comparison scenario indicated that costs could be saved by switching to other sartan treatments, while two other scenarios assumed additional costs, attributable to price differences and the costs of additional doctors’ visits for the purpose of switching medication. The report comes to the following conclusion: Should a decision be made to cease reimbursing olmesartan, doctors will require appropriate information in advance and supplies of alternative medications must be guaranteed.