High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects millions of people around the world.
It’s a serious health issue that raises the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and early death.
Most people with high blood pressure take daily pills to manage it, but remembering to take medicine every day can be hard. Missing doses can cause blood pressure to go up again, making it harder to stay healthy.
Now, a new drug called zilebesiran may offer a simpler solution. Researchers, including a team from the University of Edinburgh, have been testing this new treatment. Instead of taking a pill every day, patients can get a single shot of zilebesiran, which may control their blood pressure for up to six months.
In studies done in the UK, people who received the injection saw big drops in their blood pressure. A 200mg dose lowered the top number of their blood pressure (called systolic pressure) by more than 10 mmHg.
The highest dose of 800mg lowered it by over 20 mmHg. These changes can make a big difference and help many people reach safer blood pressure levels.
Zilebesiran works in a smart and simple way. It targets a hormone called angiotensin, which causes blood vessels to tighten and raise blood pressure.
The drug goes straight to the liver and stops the body from making a protein called angiotensinogen, which is needed to make the angiotensin hormone. Without this hormone, the blood vessels stay relaxed, and blood pressure goes down.
The early trial involved 107 people with high blood pressure. Out of these, 80 people got the new drug, and the rest received a fake treatment, or placebo. The people who got the drug saw clear improvements.
While the results are exciting, scientists say they need to do more research to make sure the drug is safe and works well over the long term.
Professor David Webb from the University of Edinburgh called this a major development in treating high blood pressure. He said it’s been 17 years since a new type of blood pressure drug was created.
A treatment like zilebesiran could help many people stick to their care plans, since it’s easier to get a shot twice a year than to take pills every day.
If future studies show the drug is safe and effective, zilebesiran could become a game-changer for people with high blood pressure. It could help them stay on track with treatment and lower their risk of serious health problems.
This study is a hopeful step forward in heart health and high blood pressure care. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and mark an exciting new chapter in finding better treatments for this common condition.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about This daily food is very important for blood pressure and heart health and Common blood pressure medication may have harmful side effects.
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