Telmisartan, sold under the brand name Micardis among others, is a medication used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.

[6] Common side effects include upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and back pain.

[6] Side effects include tachycardia and bradycardia (fast or slow heartbeat), hypotension (low blood pressure) and edema (swelling of arms, legs, lips, tongue, or throat, the latter leading to breathing problems).

[citation needed] In addition to blocking the renin–angiotensin system, telmisartan acts as a partial agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), a central regulator of insulin and glucose metabolism.

It is believed that telmisartan's dual mode of action may provide protective benefits against the vascular and renal damage caused by diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Clinical trials have shown that telmisartan increases insulin sensitivity, reduces cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy, and improves endothilial function; all these effects can be attributed to its activity on PPAR-γ.

[17] The kidney-protecting activity of telmisartan is attributed to both angiotensin II antagonism and improved endothelial function from PPAR-γ.

[29] A 2022 meta-analysis finds that a longer duration of taking ARBs (including telmisartan) is associated with an increase in cancer rates.

[30] A 2023 large-scale study on Lebanese patients finds that taking ARBs reduces the incidence of cancer, with greater effects on those who have taken the drug for a long time.