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11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) may be involved in several abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome. This study evaluated the antihypertensive efficacy and safety of two 11β-HSD1 inhibitors, MK-0736 and MK-0916, in overweight-to-obese hypertensive patients. Patients aged 18-75 years with sitting diastolic blood pressure (SiDBP) 90-104 mm Hg, systolic BP <160 mm Hg (after washout of prior antihypertensive medications), and BMI ≥27 to <41 kg/m(2) were randomized to receive 2 or 7 mg/d MK-0736, 6 mg/d MK-0916, or placebo for 12 weeks (n = 51-54/group). Patients with BMI ≥20 to <27 kg/m(2) received 6 mg/d MK-0916 or placebo for 24 weeks (n = 19/group). The primary endpoint was placebo-adjusted change from baseline in trough SiDBP in patients treated for 12 weeks with 7 mg/d MK-0736. The primary endpoint was not met (placebo-adjusted reduction = 2.2 mm Hg; P = .157). With 7 mg/d MK-0736, placebo-adjusted LDL-C decreased by 12.3%, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 6.3%, and body weight by 1.4 kg. Both 11β-HSD1 inhibitors were generally well tolerated. In overweight-to-obese patients with hypertension, reduction in SiDBP with MK-0736 was not statistically significant. Nonetheless, MK-0736 was well tolerated and did appear to modestly improve other BP endpoints, LDL-C, and body weight., (Copyright © 2011 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The safety and efficacy of combination ezetimibe/simvastatin (E/S) plus extended-release niacin was assessed in 942 patients with type IIa/IIb hyperlipidemia for 64 weeks in a randomized, double-blind study. Patients received E/S (10/20 mg) plus niacin (to 2 g) or E/S (10/20 mg) for 64 weeks, or niacin (to 2 g) for 24 weeks and then E/S (10/20 mg) plus niacin (2 g) or E/S (10/20 mg) for an additional 40 weeks. The primary end point, the safety of E/S plus niacin, included prespecified adverse events (ie, liver, muscle, discontinuations due to flushing, gallbladder-related, cholecystectomy, fasting glucose changes, new-onset diabetes). The secondary end points included the percentage of change from baseline in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, other lipids, lipoprotein ratios and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. The anticipated niacin-associated flushing led to a greater rate of study discontinuations with the E/S plus niacin regimen than with E/S alone (0.7%, p <0.001). The rate of liver and muscle adverse events was low (<1%) in both groups. Four patients had gallbladder-related adverse events; 1 patient in the E/S and 1 in the E/S plus niacin group underwent cholecystectomy. The occurrence of new-onset diabetes was 3.1% for the E/S and 4.9% for the E/S plus niacin group. The fasting glucose levels increased to greater than baseline during the first 12 weeks (E/S, 3.2 mg/dl; E/S plus niacin, 7.7 mg/dl) and gradually decreased to pretreatment levels by 64 weeks in both groups. E/S plus niacin significantly improved HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and A-I, and lipoprotein ratios compared with E/S (p