<br>        Inclusion criteria:<br><br>          -  aged at least 60 years old<br><br>          -  mean SBP greater than 140 mmHg and mean DBP less than or equal to 95 mmHg<br><br>          -  24-hour mean ambulatory SBP greater than 125 mmHg<br><br>          -  hypertensive patients not on current antihypertensive therapy or able to stop their<br>             current treatment for a period of up to eighteen weeks<br><br>          -  willing and able to provide written informed consent<br><br>        Exclusion criteria:<br><br>          -  women of child-bearing potential who are NOT practicing acceptable means of birth<br>             control<br><br>          -  known or suspected secondary hypertension<br><br>          -  mean SBP equal to or greater than 200 mmHg<br><br>          -  hepatic and/or renal dysfunction as defined by the following laboratory parameters:<br><br>               -  bilateral renal artery stenosis, renal artery stenosis in a solitary kidney,<br>                  patients post-renal transplant or with only one functioning kidney<br><br>               -  clinically relevant hypokalemia or hyperkalemia<br><br>               -  uncorrected volume or sodium depletion<br><br>          -  primary aldosteronism<br><br>          -  hereditary fructose intolerance<br><br>          -  biliary obstructive disorders<br><br>          -  patients who have previously experienced symptoms characteristic of angioedema during<br>             treatment with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-II receptor antagonists<br><br>          -  history of drug or alcohol dependency within the previous six months<br><br>          -  chronic administration of any medication known to affect blood pressure, other than<br>             the trial medication<br><br>          -  concurrent participation in another clinical trial or any investigational therapy<br>             within thirty days prior to signing the consent form.<br><br>          -  symptomatic congestive heart failure (New York Heart Academy (NYHA) functional class<br>             CHF II-IV)<br><br>          -  unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary<br>             angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery less than three<br>             months prior to informed consent<br><br>          -  stroke less than six months prior to informed consent<br><br>          -  sustained ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or other<br>             clinically relevant arrhythmias as determined by the investigator<br><br>          -  hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, hemodynamically relevant stenosis of the<br>             aortic or mitral valve<br><br>          -  insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus whose diabetes has not been stable and controlled<br>             for the previous three months<br><br>          -  night-shift workers who routinely sleep during the daytime and whose working hours<br>             include midnight to 4:00 AM<br><br>          -  known allergic hypersensitivity to any component of the formulations under<br>             investigation<br><br>          -  concomitant therapy with lithium, cholestyramine or colestipol resins. non-compliance<br>             with study medication (defined as less than 80% or more than 120%) during the run-in<br>             period<br><br>          -  current treatment with any antihypertensive agent<br><br>          -  any other clinical condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would not<br>             allow safe completion of the protocol and safe administration of telmisartan,<br>             amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide<br>