High blood pressure is one of the world’s most common health problems.
It often develops without obvious symptoms, but over time it can damage blood vessels and greatly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, and early death. Keeping blood pressure under control is one of the best ways to protect long-term health.
Most people with high blood pressure take tablets every day. These medicines can work very well, but many people forget to take them regularly or stop taking them altogether. Missing doses allows blood pressure to rise again, making serious health problems more likely.
Scientists are now testing a different approach that could make treatment much simpler. A new drug called zilebesiran may control blood pressure with just one injection every six months. Researchers from several institutions, including the University of Edinburgh, have been studying the medicine, and the early results are encouraging.
Unlike traditional medicines that must be taken every day, zilebesiran is designed to keep working for months after a single injection. In a clinical trial, people who received the treatment experienced a clear reduction in systolic blood pressure, which is the top number in a blood pressure reading and measures the pressure inside the arteries when the heart beats.
Participants who received doses of 200 milligrams or more saw their systolic blood pressure fall by more than 10 millimeters of mercury on average. The highest dose, 800 milligrams, reduced blood pressure by more than 20 millimeters of mercury. For many patients, this level of improvement could move blood pressure from a dangerous range to a much healthier one.
Zilebesiran works differently from existing blood pressure medicines. It blocks the production of angiotensinogen, a protein the body uses to make angiotensin, a hormone that narrows blood vessels and raises blood pressure. The drug uses gene-silencing technology to reduce the amount of angiotensinogen the body produces, helping blood vessels stay more relaxed.
The study included 107 adults with high blood pressure. Eighty participants received a single injection of zilebesiran, while the remaining volunteers received a placebo that contained no active medicine. The researchers then monitored how their blood pressure changed over the following months.
The results showed that the treatment remained effective for an unusually long time after only one injection. However, the researchers stressed that larger studies are still needed to confirm how safe the drug is and whether it continues to work well over many years of treatment.
Professor David Webb from the University of Edinburgh said the medicine could represent an important advance because no completely new type of blood pressure drug has been introduced for many years. A treatment that only needs to be given twice a year could help many more people stay on track with their treatment plan.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Although zilebesiran is not yet ready for routine medical use, the findings suggest it could become an important new option for millions of people living with high blood pressure.
If future studies continue to show good safety and lasting effectiveness, this long-acting injection may make controlling blood pressure easier while reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about breakfast for better blood pressure management, and the gut feeling that lowers blood pressure.
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