World Hypertension Day 2013: New Sevikar® data and the Daiichi Sankyo patient support programme highlight importance of effective blood pressure management

Munich, Germany (ots) -

* Lack of patient adherence to hypertension treatment is one of
the root causes of failure to reach blood pressure goals,
contributing to increased risk of serious cardiovascular events

* The Daiichi Sankyo myHypertensionCare patient support programme
aims to improve patient engagement and adherence to treatment -
www.myhypertensioncare.eu

* New clinical trial data compare fixed dose combination treatment
olmesartan/amlodipine with perindopril and amlodipine in reducing
central aortic blood pressure

World Hypertension Day helps to build awareness of a "silent
killer" that affects 1.5 billion people and causes 7.6 million
premature deaths worldwide.(1,2) In Europe, less than 50% of treated
hypertensive patients achieve target blood pressure control
(<140/90mmHg), and more than half of the hypertensive patients
(>=140/90mmHg) go untreated.(3,4) "In order to tackle this challenge
Italy and France have committed to the ambitious goal of achieving
blood pressure control for at least 70% of hypertension patients by
2015,? said Professor Josep Redón, President of the European Society
of Hypertension. "The European Society of Hypertension fully supports
initiatives like this and we will be meeting with more local European
hypertension societies to secure their support and work to make this
a common goal."

To support physicians and help patients achieve target blood
pressure goals, to ultimately lower risks for serious cardiovascular
events, Daiichi Sankyo is contributing by continuing to investigate
the benefits of fixed dose combination (FDC) treatments. 80-85% of
hypertensive patients have the potential to achieve blood pressure
control with multiple-drug combinations.(5) FDC therapy, which is the
preferred treatment option according to the European guidelines for
hypertension management, simplifies hypertension treatment to help
improve patient adherence and clinical outcomes.(5)

New clinical trial data, from the phase 4 Sevitension Study, will
be presented at the 23rd European Meeting on Hypertension and
Cardiovascular Protection (ESH) in Milan , comparing FDC treatment
olmesartan and amlodipine with perindopril and amlodipine in reducing
central aortic blood pressure.(6)

Optimising hypertension management will also be a focus of the
Daiichi Sankyo and Menarini Group satellite symposium - Ten Years of
Olmesartan: Tailoring Patient Care, taking place at the ESH on Friday
14 June, 15.00-17.00

"In addition to our continued investigation of antihypertensive
treatments powered by olmesartan, we are very proud of the Daiichi
Sankyo HypertensionCare Programme that helps patients and physicians
to more effectively control blood pressure levels," said Joris
Versteden, Senior Director Medical Affairs , Daiichi Sankyo Europe.

The interactive patient support site myhypertensioncare.eu in
Europe consists of three elements: one site dedicated to providing
tools for healthcare professionals; one providing information and
guidance for patients and their relatives; and a third specifically
to support patients on adherence to treatment.

Treatment adherence is a real challenge for patients with arterial
hypertension, with approximately 50% of patients discontinuing
treatment after one year.(7) A lack of adherence to treatment has
been identified as one of the important causes of failure to reach
blood pressure goals.(8) The myHypertensionCare patient support
programme aims to improve patient understanding, engagement and
compliance with lifestyle changes and treatment, improving clinical
outcomes.(8,9)

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Sevikar

Sevikar is a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan and amlodipine:
Sevikar delivers powerful blood pressure lowering action through a
convenient once-daily, single pill fixed-dose combination, allowing
the majority of patients to reach their target blood pressure.

About Daiichi Sankyo Europe

Daiichi Sankyo's European base is located in Munich and has
affiliates in 12 European countries in addition to a global
manufacturing site located in Pfaffenhofen, Germany. For more
information, please visit: www.daiichi-sankyo.eu

References

1. World Hypertension Day Brochure, 2013, initiated by the World
Hypertension League

2. Lawes, CM, Vander Hoorn, S. & Rodgers, A. Global burden of
blood-pressure-related disease, 2001. Lancet 2008; 371 (9623):1513-8

3. Wang YR, Alexander GC, Stafford RS, Outpatient Hypertension
Treatment. Treatment Intensification, and Control in Western Europe
and the United States. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(2):141-147

4. Wolf-Maier K et al. Hypertension Treatment and control in five
European countries, Canada, and the United States.

5. Mancia G, Laurent S, Agabiti-Rosei E, et al. Reappraisal of
European guidelines on hypertension management: a European Society of
Hypertension Task Force document. Journal of Hypertension 2009,
27:000-000

6. Comparison of Sevikar® and the Combination of
Perindopril/Amlodipine on Central Blood Pressure.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01101009. Accessed May
2013.

7. Vrijens B, Vincze G, Kristanto P, et al. Adherence to
prescribed antihypertensive drug treatments: longitudinal study of
electronically compiled dosing histories. BMJ. 2008;336:1114-1117.

8. World Health Organization Report 2003: Adherence to Long-Term
Therapies.
www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/adherence_full_report.pdf.
Accessed May 2013.

9. Corrao G, Parodi A, Nicotra F, et al. Better compliance to
antihypertensive medications reduces cardiovascular risk. J Hypertens
2011; 29(3): 610-618.

Contact:

Product Communications
Lydia Worms
European Product PR Senior Manager
Phone +49 89 7808 751
lydia.worms@daiichi-sankyo.eu