ROADMAP study - Olmesartan reduces time to onset of albuminuria

Patients with type-2 diabetes who develop microalbuminuria are at risk of further renal damage and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have been conflicting whether Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) can delay the onset of microalbuminuria in normotensive or pre-hypertensive patients. The ROADMAP study is the first large-scale randomized primary prevention study to investigate potential of ARBs in prevention of microalbuminuria in type-2 diabetics.

The Randomized Olmesartan and Diabetes Microalbuminuria Prevention (ROADMAP) study was conducted in 4447 patients in type-2 diabetes with normoalbuminuria and one or more additional cardiovascular risk factors.

The primary end point of the study was time to onset of microalbuminuria. Patients were randomized to either 40 mg olmesartan (n=2322) or placebo (n=2215), until the predefined number of adjudicated microalbuminuria events occurred at a median follow-up of 3.2 years.

There was a significant 23% reduction in the time to onset of microalbuminuria in patients taking olmesartan (p=0.01) and majority of this effect was BP-independent. Almost 80% of patients in the study group attained BP goal of <130/80 mm Hg.

Presented at ESH June 2010, Oslo, Norway

Adapted from www.theheart.org, as accessed on June 23, 2010.