In the current context of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade, angiotensin (Ang) converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), or their combination, have proved to be effective in providing cardiovascular and renal protection. However, renin inhibition has long been recognized as the preferred site for blockade of the RAAS because renin represents the first, highly-regulated and rate-limiting step of the system. Up to now, the first orally active renin inhibitors initially tested in humans did not meet the necessary all the criteria (specificity, potency, and pharmacokinetic profile) to become clinically useful drugs. The synthesis of aliskiren, a potent alkane carboxamide renin inhibitor, now provides an orally active compound which, according to its pharmacological profile in normotensive subjects and in patients with hypertension, diabetic nephropathy or heart failure suggests that this drug may be of value for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular and renal disorders. However, long-term studies are needed to demonstrate the efficacy of aliskiren in these clinical settings. The results of the Aliskiren Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Using Cardiorenal Disease Endpoints (ALTITUDE) trial which has already included 8600 patients with type 2 diabetes, proteinuria and a high cardiovascular risk and compared the effects of aliskiren vs. a placebo on a composite endpoint including renal and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality should be provided in 2012.
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