Valsartan
Valsartan (trade name Diovan) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist (commonly called an ARB, or angiotensin receptor blocker), that is selective for the type I (AT1) angiotensin receptor. Valsartan is mainly used for treatment of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and to increase the chances of living longer after a heart attack.
Medical uses
Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and to reduce death for people with left ventricular dysfunction after having had a heart attack.
There is contradictory evidence with regard to treating people with heart failure with a combination of an angiotensin receptor blocker like valsartan and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, with two major clinical trials (CHARM-additive and ValHeFt) showing a reduction in death, and two others (VALIANT and ONTARGET) showing no benefits, and more adverse effects including heart attacks.
In people with type II diabetes and high blood pressure or albumin in the urine, valsartan is used to slow the worsening and the development end-stage renal disease.
