Primary efficacy goal rates at Week 16. Patients were treated with olmesartan medoxomil (20–40 mg/d) for up to 8 weeks, and if the target blood pressure (BP) of ≤130/85 mm Hg was not achieved, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) (12.5–25 mg/d) was added to the treatment regimen. Using this two‐drug algorithm, 83.2% of patients achieved the BP goal of ≤140/90 mm Hg, and 69.3% of patients achieved the more stringent BP goal of ≤130/85 mm Hg. *The response rate, defined as seated diastolic BP <90 mm Hg or seated diastolic BP reduced by ≥10 mm Hg from baseline, was 96.1%.