The Need for a Better Solution
High blood pressure is a huge health problem that affects millions of people. It can lead to severe conditions like strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure.
Often, the reason behind high blood pressure is a mystery, leaving patients dependent on medications for life.
However, some people find that even multiple medications don’t lower their blood pressure enough. Enter Baxdrostat, a new drug that shows promise for these hard-to-treat cases.
How the Study Was Done
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and CinCor Pharma in the U.S. teamed up for a 12-week study involving 248 patients.
These patients were already taking at least three blood pressure medications, but their numbers still remained high. The study aimed to see if adding Baxdrostat could make a difference.
The patients were split into groups. Each group received a different dose of Baxdrostat or a placebo (a pill with no medicine in it) in addition to their existing medications.
The highest dose of Baxdrostat led to an impressive 20-point drop in blood pressure. That’s 11 points better than what the placebo group experienced, a difference considered to be significant.
The Science Behind Baxdrostat
Baxdrostat works by targeting a specific hormone called aldosterone, which controls how much salt our bodies hold onto.
Too much aldosterone can cause our bodies to keep too much salt, which can raise blood pressure.
In this study, Baxdrostat successfully lowered the levels of aldosterone in both blood and urine samples from the patients.
One of the challenges in creating this drug was making sure it only affected aldosterone and didn’t interfere with another important hormone, cortisol.
Thankfully, the researchers managed to make Baxdrostat very specific in its action.
What This Means for Patients
Professor Morris Brown, who has been researching this medication for over a decade, finds the results promising.
Although more studies are needed, Baxdrostat could be a game-changer for many people who haven’t had success with traditional treatments.
This is particularly relevant for the 5% to 10% of people with high blood pressure caused by an adrenal gland issue, leading to overproduction of aldosterone. In the UK alone, this could affect more than 500,000 people.
Moving Forward
While these early results are exciting, more research is needed before Baxdrostat can be considered a go-to treatment for high blood pressure.
Still, it brings hope to those who have struggled to manage their condition with currently available medications.
If you’re interested in keeping your blood pressure in check, stay tuned for more research about lifestyle habits that could impact it and foods that might help.
Studies have also shown that a healthy diet and antioxidants could benefit not just your blood pressure but your overall brain health as well.
The details of this study were discussed at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference and have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that common painkiller can harm your blood pressure, and common high blood pressure drugs may actually raise blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure control, please see recent studies about teas that may help reduce high blood pressure, and results showing this recommended high blood pressure drug may have dangerous side effects.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
