ACE and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Thus, we designed the VARIETY study, a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE) trial primarily aimed to evaluate whether, at similar BP control, combined therapy with the ACE inhibitor benazepril and the ARB valsartan would reduce the incidence of microalbuminuria more effectively than benazepril or valsartan monotherapy in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes at increased risk of progression to the endpoint because of high-normal albuminuria at inclusion.