Update (June 15, 2026): Long-Term Telmisartan for Hypertension in Cats — Noninferior to Benazepril, Sustained BP Control

TL;DR. Long-term oral telmisartan maintains blood pressure control in hypertensive cats and was noninferior to benazepril for proteinuria reduction in the pivotal RCT, with both drugs well tolerated -- data supporting sustained use in hypertensive CKD.

What just dropped

• Sent et al. 2015 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4895689/): telmisartan proved noninferior to benazepril and significantly decreased proteinuria; both drugs well tolerated and safe in the pivotal controlled trial in cats with CKD
• Long-term efficacy study in hypertensive cats (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6430888/): results from extended oral telmisartan treatment in cats with systemic hypertension

Context

Telmisartan (Semintra; Boehringer Ingelheim) is an angiotensin II AT1-receptor blocker approved in the EU and United States for reduction of proteinuria in cats with CKD, and additionally approved in the EU for the management of systemic hypertension. The pivotal registration study (Sent et al. 2015) demonstrated noninferiority to benazepril for urine protein-to-creatinine (UPC) ratio reduction alongside good tolerability in both treatment groups.

Subsequent long-term data evaluated sustained blood pressure control in cats with systemic hypertension treated with oral telmisartan over an extended period. Hypertensive CKD is a particularly high-risk combination: sustained elevation in systemic blood pressure accelerates glomerular damage and worsens proteinuria independently of CKD staging. Telmisartan's dual RAAS-targeting (AT1 blockade, proteinuria reduction) and antihypertensive properties make it mechanistically suited to address both components simultaneously.

What this changes in telmisartan (Semintra) for proteinuria and hypertension in cats (https://www.thevoyage.ai/forvets/knowledge/telmisartan-feline-ckd-proteinuria)

The long-term hypertension dataset reinforces telmisartan's clinical role beyond the initial proteinuria context and supports its use as a sustained antihypertensive agent in CKD cats with concurrent systolic hypertension.

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References

1. Sent U et al. 2015. Comparison of efficacy of long-term treatments using telmisartan and benazepril in cats with chronic kidney disease. J Vet Intern Med. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4895689/
2. Long-term oral telmisartan treatment for hypertension in cats. J Vet Intern Med. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6430888/

Related reads

• Telmisartan (Semintra) for Proteinuria and Hypertension in Cats with CKD
• Update (June 10, 2026): No Evidence of Circulating RAAS Activation in Cats with Non-Hypertensive CKD or Untreated Hypertension