Huge breakthrough for millions with high blood pressure with a new injection every six months
- One in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure, also known as hypertension
- But a trial of a new drug, zilebesiran, could revolutionize the future of treatment
Just a single injection every six months can lower persistent high blood pressure, study results suggest.
Around one in three adults in the UK have high blood pressure – also known as hypertension – and many treat the condition by taking tablets daily.
But a trial of a new drug, zilebesiran, could revolutionize the future of treatment.
The drug, developed by US-based company Alnylam, is given as an injection rather than in traditional pill form.
An international team conducted early stage clinical trials at four sites in the UK.
Around one in three adults in the UK have high blood pressure – also known as hypertension – and many treat the condition by taking tablets daily
They recruited 107 patients with hypertension to participate – 80 received a single injection of zilebesiran under the skin, while 32 received a placebo with no active ingredients.
Five patients who initially received placebo were later transferred to zilebesiran.
Analysis showed that patients receiving zilebesiran experienced significant reductions in systolic blood pressure – the force with which the heart pushes blood out and through the body – that lasted for up to six months.
On average, systolic blood pressure fell by more than 10 mmHg with a dose of 200 mg or more of the drug, and more than 20 mmHg with the highest dose of 800 mg.
A drop of this size can put someone with high blood pressure within a much safer range.
Blood pressure naturally goes up and down during the day, making it difficult to treat.
But the study found that the drop in blood pressure seen in patients treated with zilebesiran was consistent over 24 hours.
The drug works by preventing the production of angiotensin – a hormone in the body that narrows blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure.
Reporting the results in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)said the researchers: “Overall, these preliminary data … support the potential for further study of quarterly or biennial administration of zilebesiran as a treatment for patients with hypertension.”
More than half of high blood pressure patients do not take all of their prescribed medications, leading to inconsistent blood pressure control.
Better management of the condition can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and premature death, experts say.
Professor David Webb, who led the trial at the Edinburgh site, said: ‘This is a potentially important development in hypertension. No new class of drugs have been approved for the treatment of high blood pressure in the past 17 years.
‘This new approach leads to a substantial reduction in blood pressure, both day and night, which lasts about six months after a single injection.
“This is attractive because it helps avoid the compliance difficulty seen with current medications. The next phase of clinical trials will focus on developing robust safety data and broader evidence of efficacy before zilebesiran can be approved for use.”
Lead author Dr Akshay Desai, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: ‘Hypertension is the leading cause of premature death, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease worldwide.
“The data we published in NEJM are exciting and suggest the potential role for zilebesiran to treat hypertension in a new way.”