Effect of suvorexant on nighttime blood pressure in hypertensive patients with insomnia: The SUPER-1 study

Orexins are neuropeptides that play a role in maintaining wakefulness and contribute to central regulation of cardiovascular function. This first multicenter, randomized, double-blind study investigated the effects of suvorexant, a reversible dual orexin receptor antagonist, on nighttime blood pressure (BP) in patients with insomnia and hypertension. After a 4-week run-in period, adult outpatients (n = 82) with treated hypertension (clinic SBP <160 mm Hg) and insomnia were treated with suvorexant 20 mg/d or placebo before bedtime for 2 weeks. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP monitoring was performed at baseline and the end of treatment, and home BP measurements (morning and evening) were taken daily. Nighttime systolic BP (SBP), the primary endpoint, decreased slightly from baseline to week 2 in both the suvorexant and placebo groups (−4.4 vs −1.8 mm Hg; P = 0.494). Clinic, 24-hour, daytime and morning SBP (ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) also decreased slightly and similarly from baseline in both groups. In this study, suvorexant had no overall effect on BP in patients with insomnia and treated hypertension.