A series of renin inhibitors containing ester side chains at the P2 subsite are potent inhibitors of primate renin. Derivatives containing the diol isostere (ACDMH) at P1-P1' were the most potent inhibitors. Moderate selectivity for renin was observed relative to the closely related aspartic proteinase cathepsin D. The prototype compound, 4 (PD 132002), inhibited pepsin only weakly. In both high-renin normotensive and high-renin renal hypertensive monkeys, 4 produced substantial reductions in blood pressure after oral administration of 30 mg/kg. The maximum drop in blood pressure observed (24 +/- 4 mmHg) in the renal hypertensive monkey model was comparable to the drop produced by an intravenous infusion of saralasin at a maximally effective dose. Both the magnitude and duration of the oral antihypertensive effect of 4 is greater than that produced by enalkiren, CGP-38560, or CP-80794 by direct comparison in the same hypertensive monkey model. The malonate ester derivatives were prepared as ca. 65:35 mixtures of epimers. The kinetics of epimerization of 4 were investigated in detail, and it was shown to equilibrate rapidly at physiological pH (t1/2 less than 2 min). Fractional crystallization was employed to obtain the individual diastereomers in greater than 98% purity, which were indistinguishable in terms of their activity in vitro or in vivo, presumably due to rapid epimerization under the testing conditions.