Daiichi Sankyo announces FDA approval of Benicar

Daiichi Sankyo announced this week that its hypertension treatment Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The therapy is indicated to lower blood pressure in children and adolescents from six to 16 years of age and has been approved previously for adult treatment.

An angiotensin II receptor blocker, the drug halts the action of a substance in the body called angiotensin II that is responsible for increasing blood pressure.

Reinilde Heyrman, vice-president of Daiichi Sankyo, commented that hypertension is on the rise, among both children and adults.

“Daiichi Sankyo believes it is important to help doctors meet the challenge of treating these paediatric patients by providing a treatment option to help people effectively manage their hypertension,” he furthered.

Earlier this month, Daiichi Sankyo revealed that it has initiated an investigation into the efficacy of edoxaban regarding the reduction of recurrent venous thromboembolic complications in deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism patients.