The primary aim of the trial is to compare telmisartan 80 mg to valsartan 160 mg in lowering diastolic blood pressure in patients who missed a dose of their medication, as measured by ABPM (change from baseline in mean DBP over 24 hours), and to compare telmisartan 80 mg to valsartan 160 mg in lowering DBP during the last six hours of the dosing interval at the end of a 6 to 8-week treatment period, as measured by ABPM (change from baseline)

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Mild-to-moderate hypertension defined as a mean seated diastolic blood pressure of ≥ 95 mmHg and ≤ 109 mmHg, measured by manual cuff sphygmomanometer, at Visit 2
2. 24-hour mean DBP of ≥ 85 mmHg at Visit 3 as measured by ABPM
3. Age 18 years or older
4. Ability to stop any current antihypertensive therapy without risk to the patient (investigator's discretion)
5. Patient's written informed consent in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and local legislation

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pre-menopausal women (last menstruation ≤ 1 year prior to start of run-in period) who

   1. are not surgically sterile,
   2. are nursing,
   3. are of child-bearing potential and are NOT practising acceptable methods of birth control, or do NOT plan to continue practising an acceptable method throughout the study. Acceptable methods of birth control include oral, implantable or injectable contraceptives and Intra Uterine Devices (IUD)

2. Known or suspected secondary hypertension

3. Mean sitting SBP ≥180 mmHg or mean sitting DBP ≥110 mmHg during any visit of the placebo run-in period

4. Hepatic and/or renal dysfunction as defined by the following laboratory parameters:

   1. Serum Glutamate-Pyruvate-Transaminase (Alanine Aminotransferase) (SGPT (ALT)) or Serum Glutamate-Oxaloacetate-Transaminase (Aspartate Aminotransferase) (SGOT (AST)) > than 2 times the upper limit of normal range,
   2. Serum creatinine > 2.3 mg/dL (or > 203 μmol/l)

5. Bilateral renal artery stenosis, renal artery stenosis in a solitary kidney, patients postrenal transplant or with only one kidney

6. Clinically relevant sodium depletion, hypokalaemia or hyperkalaemia

7. Uncorrected volume depletion

8. Primary aldosteronism

9. Hereditary fructose intolerance

10. Biliary obstructive disorders

11. Patients who have previously experienced symptoms characteristic of angioedema during treatment with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor antagonists

12. History of drug or alcohol dependency within six months prior to start of run-in period

13. Concomitant administration of any medications known to affect blood pressure, except medication allowed by the protocol

14. Any investigational therapy within one month of signing the informed consent form

15. Congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class Congestive Heart Failure (CHF III-IV))

16. Unstable angina within the past three months prior to start of run-in period

17. Stroke within the past six months prior to start of run-in period

18. Myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery within the past three months prior to start of run-in period

19. Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) within the past three months prior to start of run-in period

20. Sustained ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or other clinically relevant cardiac arrhythmias as determined by the investigator

21. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, hemodynamically relevant stenosis of the aortic or mitral valve

22. Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus whose diabetes has not been stable and controlled for at least the past three months as defined by an HbA1C ≥ 10%

23. Night shift workers who routinely sleep during the daytime and whose work hours include midnight to 4:00 Ante Meridiem (AM)

24. Known hypersensitivity to any component of the formulations

25. Any clinical condition which, in the opinion of the investigator would not allow safe completion of the protocol and safe administration of trial medication

26. Inability to comply with the protocol