As demand grows for more effective and evidence based management of cardiovascular disease, treatments which modify the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have become a major focus for research. As a consequence, RAS modulating agents such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II type 1 (AT₁) receptor blockers have attracted much scientific interest.

It is no surprise then that the current evidence for RAS modulating treatment—and the possible directions for the future—became the subject of a major international two day meeting, held in November 1999. While looking to the future, the meeting provided a valuable forum for assessing the current standard of cardiovascular evidence and practice, and reviewing its clinical implications.

The meeting explored the wealth …