Health · Pharma & Biotech · 1 hr ago
Small trial finds lasting blood pressure improvement after baxdrostat
A small study found lasting improvements after baxdrostat treatment for some people with high blood pressure linked to excess aldosterone.
The condition, called primary aldosteronism, occurs when the adrenal glands make too much of a hormone that causes the body to retain salt and water.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London studied 14 patients in the US who took the pill daily for six to 12 months.
About two years after stopping, a hormone marker was down 99 per cent, while average systolic blood pressure had fallen from 142.4 to 117.2 mmHg.
The findings suggest the underlying disorder may have gone into near-total remission, but they do not establish that the drug cures it; the study was small and the lasting effect is still being investigated.
Baxdrostat is not yet available on the NHS; AstraZeneca is seeking UK approval, and health watchdogs are assessing its cost effectiveness for patients whose high blood pressure is uncontrolled or resistant to treatment.
A small follow-up study found that 14 patients with a hormone-related form of high blood pressure still had lower blood pressure around two years after stopping baxdrostat.
The patients’ average systolic blood pressure fell from 142.4 to 117.2 mmHg compared with before treatment.
A marker of excess aldosterone production was 99 per cent lower than before treatment.
Patients took the once-daily drug for six to 12 months, and researchers said the results suggest the underlying disorder may have gone into near-total remission.
Baxdrostat is not yet available on the NHS, and its potential to provide a lasting cure is still being investigated.
- Who
- Researchers at Queen Mary University of London studied 14 patients in the US.
- What
- The study found lower blood pressure and a reduced marker of excess aldosterone around two years after patients stopped taking baxdrostat.
- When
- Patients took the drug for six to 12 months. Their blood pressure and hormone levels were reassessed around two years after stopping.
- Where
- The patients were in the US; the research team was at Queen Mary University of London.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether blocking aldosterone production could address the underlying cause of primary aldosteronism and produce lasting improvements.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A study in mice found that suppressing aldosterone caused the cells responsible for producing it to disappear.
A major trial showed that baxdrostat could lower blood pressure in patients who had not responded adequately to existing treatments.
The 14 patients in the latest study took baxdrostat once daily.
Researchers reassessed the patients’ blood pressure and hormone levels.
- Patients studied
- 14
- Treatment
- Once-daily baxdrostat for six to 12 months
- Aldosterone marker
- 99 per cent lower than before treatment
- Average systolic blood pressure
- Fell from 142.4 to 117.2 mmHg
- Primary aldosteronism in Britain
- Estimated to affect around 800,000 people
What people are saying
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