The VALIDATE Study of Valsartan for Patients With Early Stage Heart Failure

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female 25-85 years of age, inclusive * Past diagnosis of hypertension for a min 1 year * Patients with an established treatment regimen for hypertension with one or more agents for a minimum period of 2 months * BP is considered adequately controlled with DBP \< 90mmHg * Elevated BNP levels both in bedside test (62pg/ml) and after validation of a separate blood sample (40pg/ml) in the central laboratory * LV ejection fraction ³ 45% * LVH defined as myocardial mass ³ 116 g /m2 in males and 104 g/m2 in females * At least one of the following parameters of diastolic dysfunction * E/A \< 1 for the patients who are younger than 55 years or \< 0.8 for the patients whose age is ³ 55 years (full year), or * DT \> 220 ms, or * IVRT \> 90 ms Exclusion Criteria: • Present use of ACE inhibitor Other protocol-defined exclusion criteria may apply. \-