Pharmacodynamic Equivalence of Ramipril 10 mg and Atorvastatin 40 mg Administered as a Cardiovascular (CV) Polypill Acetylsalicylic Acid-Atorvastatin-Ramipril (AAR) as Compared to Monotherapy

Inclusion Criteria:

- Male or female patients aged ≥18 and <75 years.

- Patients with Stage 1 (SBP/DBP: 140-159/90-99 mmHg) or Stage 2 (SBP/DBP: ≥160/≥100
mmHg) hypertension, either untreated or after a wash out period.

- Patients with an LDL cholesterol level of ≥100 mg/dL and, either untreated or after
the wash out period.

- Patients untreated with BP lowering and / or lipid lowering medication

- Patients treated with BP lowering and / or lipid lowering medication can be included
if the medication can be safely withdrawn as per physician's judgment.

- Provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients with a BMI of > 35

- SBP < 140 mmHg and DBP < 90 mmHg

- Severe hypertension defined as SBP > 180 mmHg and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) >
110 mmHg

- LDL cholesterol level of <100 mg/dL, either untreated or after the wash out period.

- Serum triglyceride concentration ≥400 mg/dL, either untreated or after the wash out
period.

- Patients with a medical condition requiring the chronic pharmacological treatments
listed below:

- Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors (eg itraconazole, ketoconazole,
erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, and
nefazodone).

- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

- K-sparing diuretics.

- Lithium.

- Amiodarone and verapamil.

- Oral anticoagulants (eg, warfarin).

- Steroids.

- Digoxin.

- Gemfibrozil.

- Niacin.

- Potassium supplements.

- Cyclosporine.

- Danazol.

- Rifampicin.

- Evidence of any known clinically significant chronic disease

- Patients with renal impairment with Creatinine Clearance (CrCl) < 40 mL/ min/ 1.73 m2

- Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) ≥5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN).

- Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≥ 3 x ULN.

- Total bilirubin ≥1.5 x ULN

- Medical history or evidence of drug or alcohol abuse.

- Medical history of gastrointestinal bleeding or gastroduodenal ulcer.

- Presence of secondary dyslipidemia.

- For patients on antihypertensive and/ or cholesterol lowering medication
impossibility to withdraw it safely as per physician's judgment

- Previous coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

- Previous percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with a drug-eluting
stent.

- Presence of severe congestive heart failure (New York Heart Classification (NYHC) III
IV).

- Prior history of stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), Myocardial Infarction (MI),
and cardiomyopathy with systolic dysfunction (prior documented Left Ventricular
Ejection Fraction (LVEF) < 40%)

- Aspirin induced asthma

- Previous intolerance and/or hypersensitivity to ACE inhibitors, statins and/or
salicylates.

- Presence of unstable angina.

- Lab values other than specified out of the central laboratory normal range considered
clinically significant.

- Patients and their partners not using effective contraception methods (i.e. intra
uterine device (IUD) and condom or diaphragm with spermicide and condom) during the
study and for at least one month thereafter, oral contraceptives are allowed.

- Pregnant, lactating, breastfeeding, or intends to become pregnant during the course
of the study (females only). All women must have a negative urine pregnancy test at
the Screening Visit, be surgically sterile (bilateral tubal ligation, bilateral
oophorectomy, or hysterectomy) or have a postmenopausal status (no menses) for at
least one year.

- Presence of mental illness limiting the capacity for self-care.

- Presence of major systemic illnesses: renal disease, liver disease, neurological or
psychiatric disease.

- Participation, in the 30 days preceding enrolment into the study, in any other
clinical study in which investigational or marketed drugs were employed.

- Any other medical condition that in the investigators opinion may interfere with the
study procedures and/or evaluations.