A Prospective, Randomised, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Forced-titration, Multicentre, Parallel Group, One Year Treatment Trial to Compare Telmisartan (MICARDIS) 80 mg Versus Losartan (COZAAR) 100 mg, in Hypertensive Type 2 Diabetic Patients With Overt Nephropathy (AMADEO Study)

Inclusion criteria: * Ability to provide written informed consent in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and local legislation * Age 21-80 years * Clinical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as defined by either: * Hyperglycaemia not requiring insulin (diet, oral hypoglycaemic agents and metformin if patients serum creatinine levels were within normal limits.) * Hyperglycaemia requiring insulin with: no history of diabetic ketoacidosis AND with either the period between diagnosis and insulin usage \>1 year or elevated fasting or stimulated C-peptide level * Glycosylated haemoglobin A1 (HbA1c) ≤10% * Diabetic nephropathy, as defined by: * serum creatinine at Screening (Visit 1) ≤265 μmol/L (3.0 mg/dL) in women and ≤283 μmol/L (3.2 mg/dL) in men * urinary protein/creatinine ratio ≥700 mg/g (measured in spot urine) during the run-in phase (Visit 2 or Visit 5 retest) * Hypertension at screening, as defined by either: * Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) \>130 mmHg and/or mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \>80 mmHg in untreated patients * Patients currently receiving antihypertensive medication (i.e. medications specifically prescribed to treat hypertension) * Ability to stop current antihypertensive therapy with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor (ACE-Is), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and direct vasodilators, and to stop chronic immunosuppressive therapy and current therapy with metformin without risk to the patient (Investigator's discre…