Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the hypertension treatment Benicar® (olmesartan medoxomil) for use in children and adolescents 6 to 16 years of age. Benicar was originally approved in 2002 for the treatment of hypertension in adults.
Approximately 5 percent – or 3.6 million – American children suffer from high blood pressure, with the majority unaware they have the condition. Studies have also found that the average blood pressure of American children is on the rise, in parallel with the increase of children's weight. In fact, an analysis of nearly 40 years of national surveys of high blood pressure trends in children and adolescents showed that the prevalence of elevated blood pressure among this group has been growing since the late 1980's.
"As hypertension is on the rise also in a younger population, Daiichi Sankyo believes it is important to help doctors meet the challenge of treating these pediatric patients by providing a treatment option to help people effectively manage their hypertension," said Reinilde Heyrman, MD, Vice President Clinical Development – Operations, Daiichi Sankyo Pharma Development.