In this multicenter, double-blind, parallel study, the antihypertensive effects of betaxolol (20 mg once daily) and/or chlorthalidone (25 mg once daily) were analyzed in 186 patients with essential hypertension. Following a 2- to 4-week placebo baseline period, patients were randomized to one of two treatment groups (betaxolol or chlorthalidone) and studied for 6 weeks while receiving single therapy and an additional 6 weeks with a combination of the two agents. Significant decreases from baseline supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) were observed in both groups at the end of the single-therapy phase (11 mm Hg in SDBP for betaxolol and 12 mm Hg in SDBP for chlorthalidone); a further significant decrease (7 mm Hg for betaxolol and 8 mm Hg for chlorthalidone in SDBP) was observed from the end of the single-therapy phase to the end of the combination-therapy phase. Changes in supine systolic blood pressure (SSBP) from baseline to the end of the single-therapy phase were 10 mm Hg for the betaxolol and 16 mm Hg for the chlorthalidone group. In all cases, within-group changes were statistically significant. From the end of single therapy to end of combination therapy there was an additional 14-mm Hg and 13-mm Hg reduction in SSBP in the betaxolol and chlorthalidone groups, respectively. Overall, 89% of the randomized patients completed the single-treatment phase (phase I), and 89% of those patients completed the combined therapy phase (phase II). There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the clinical response rate (SDBP at or below 90 mm Hg or a decrease from baseline of at least 10 mm Hg). A substantial percentage of patients completing phase I responded to either single agent (58% for betaxolol and 65% for chlorthalidone). Among patients completing phase II therapy, the combination of the two agents produced a greater response rate (83% for the betaxolol-first group and 85% for the chlorthalidone-first group). In conclusion, both agents were effective and well tolerated. The most frequent adverse events in the single-therapy phase were headache, arthralgia, and dizziness, while bradycardia, rhinitis, arthralgia, and dizziness were most frequent in the combination-therapy phase. The combination of betaxolol (20 mg) and chlorthalidone (25 mg) once daily produced an additive antihypertensive effect regardless of which drug was administered first.