Aliskiren and Valsartan vs Valsartan Alone in Patients With Stage II Systolic Hypertension and Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients who are eligible and able to participate in the study, and who give written informed consent before any assessment is performed. * Men or women 18 years and older. * Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with an HbA1c ≤ 9 % at visit 1 and on a stable anti-diabetic regimen not including insulin or stable diet and exercise for at least 4 weeks prior to visit 1. Cohort 1: * Patients with Stage 2 systolic hypertension, defined as having a MSSBP ≥160 mmHg and \<200 mmHg at Visit 5 (randomization). * Patients who have been newly diagnosed with hypertension or who have not received antihypertensive medication for at least 4 weeks (28 days) prior to Visit 1 must have MSSBP ≥ 160 mmHg and \< 200 mmHg at Visit 1, otherwise, they will be considered screen failures. * Patients receiving antihypertensive medication must have a MSSBP of ≥150 mmHg and \<200 mmHg at Study Visit 1, otherwise they will be considered screen failures. Cohort 2: * Patients must also have had a mean 8-hour daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure (ASBP) ≥140 mmHg AND mean 8-hour daytime ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (ADBP) ≥90 mmHg at Visit 5 (randomization). * Hypertensive patients with MSSBP ≥150 mmHg and but \<200 mmHg AND MSDBP ≥95 but \<120 mmHg at Visit 5 (randomization). * Patients who had been newly diagnosed with hypertension or who had not received antihypertensive medication for at least 4 weeks (28 days) prior to Visit 1 must have had MSSBP ≥150 mmHg but \<200 mmHg and MSDBP ≥95 but \<120 mmHg at Visit 1, otherwise, they were considered screen failures. Exclusion Criteria: * Office blood pressure measured by cuff (MSSBP ≥200 mmHg or MSDBP ≥120 mmHg). * History or evidence of secondary hypertension of any etiology. * Refractory hypertension, defined as having uncontrolled BP (≥140/90 mmHg) while receiving 3 antihypertensive medications at the maximum approved dose of each drug, one of which must be a diuretic. * Patients treated with more than 3 antihypertensive medications (each component of a combination drug counts individually). * Type 2 diabetes mellitus currently requiring insulin treatment. * modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \< 60 mL/min/1.73m2 * Serum sodium less than lower limit of normal, serum potassium \< 3.5 mEq/L or ≥ 5.3 mEq/L at Visit 1. * Known Keith-Wagener grade III or IV hypertensive retinopathy. Cohort 1: \- Patients with known diabetic retinopathy (eg, having a history of laser therapy for diabetic retinopathy) or diabetic neuropathy (eg, receiving medication for diabetic neuropathy). Cohort 2: \- Patients with known diabetic retinopathy or diabetic neuropathy and/or having a history of treatment for either. Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria applied.