Valsartan

Warning

When pregnancy is detected, discontinue valsartan as soon as possible. Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus.

Contraindications

• Known hypersensitivity to any component of the drug
• Do not coadminister aliskiren with valsartan in patients with diabetes

Adverse Reactions

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Viral infection
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Hyperkalemia

General Guidance

No initial dosage adjustment is required for elderly patients, for patients with mild or moderate renal impairment, or for patients with mild or moderate liver insufficiency. Care should be exercised with dosing of valsartan in patients with hepatic or severe renal impairment.

Pregnancy

• Use of drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reduces fetal renal function and increases fetal and neonatal morbidity and death
• Discontinue valsartan as soon as possible when pregnancy is detected

Nursing Mothers

• It is not known whether valsartan is excreted in human milk
• A decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother

Pediatric Use

• Valsartan is not recommended for pediatric patients under 6 years old due to safety findings for which a relationship to treatment could not be excluded
• No data are available in pediatric patients either undergoing dialysis or with a glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73 m^2

Geriatric Use

• No overall difference in the efficacy or safety of valsartan was observed in patients ≥65 years old
• Greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out