- General Exclusion Criteria: any malignant disease that has required treatment within the last five years, dementia or psychosis, history of non-compliance, alcoholism or drug abuse, treatment with any other investigational drug in the 30 days prior to entering the study, pregnancy and lactation, known state of allergy or hypersensitivity to nifedipine or any other dihydropyridine or to telmisartan, any surgical or medical condition which at the discretion of the investigator place the subject at higher risk from his/her participation in the study or are likely to prevent the subject from complying with the requirements of the study or completing the trial period, history of non compliance to medical regimens or subjects unwilling to comply with the study protocol.