A revolutionary medication for individuals with difficult-to-treat high blood pressure has emerged from international clinical research, offering hope to hundreds of millions worldwide.
More than 1.3 billion people across the world suffer from hypertension, with approximately half experiencing uncontrolled blood pressure.
These patients face significantly elevated risks of cardiovascular events, strokes, renal complications and premature mortality.
Fortunately, the new pharmaceutical, baxdrostat, has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in clinical trials for those whose blood pressure remains perilously elevated even while they multiple medications.
The drug could help up to half a billion people around the world, scientists say
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The development is a huge advancement in cardiovascular medicine, potentially benefiting an estimated 500 million people internationally.
The BaxHTN research programme evaluated 796 participants across 214 medical centres internationally over a 12-week period.
Patients receiving baxdrostat experienced blood pressure reductions of approximately 9-10 millimetres of mercury beyond those achieved with placebo.
This decrease is substantial enough to meaningfully reduce cardiovascular risks. Nearly 40 per cent of participants taking either 1mg or 2mg daily doses achieved normal blood pressure readings, while only 18.7 per cent of those receiving placebo reached similar targets.
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Funded by AstraZeneca, the findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Madrid and published concurrently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Professor Bryan Williams, who holds the chair of medicine at UCL and led the investigation, said: "I've never seen blood pressure reductions of this magnitude with a drug.
"Achieving a nearly 10 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure with baxdrostat in the BaxHTN phase-3 trial is exciting, as this level of reduction is linked to substantially lower risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease."
He continued: "I think this could be a gamechanger in the way we approach difficult to control or hard to control blood pressure. The results suggest that this drug could help up to half a billion people globally."
The drug helps to lower risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease
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Aldosterone, a hormone that controls sodium and fluid regulation in the kidneys, has long been recognised as a significant factor in blood pressure management.
Excessive aldosterone production causes the body to retain sodium and fluids, driving blood pressure upward and making it exceptionally challenging to manage.
Scientists have pursued methods to inhibit aldosterone production for years but struggled with such resounding success.
Professor Williams dubbed the achievement "really a triumph of scientific discovery", explaining that although aldosterone's role in hypertension was well-established, researchers had previously been unable to block its production effectively before.