Medication for renal patients now effective in combating resistant hypertension
New Drug Offers Hope for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with High Blood Pressure
A new drug named baxdrostat, developed by AstraZeneca and CinCor Pharma, is showing promising results in reducing blood pressure and potentially delaying the progression of kidney disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The findings come from a phase 2 clinical trial, known as FigHTN, which included 195 participants with an average age of 66 who were already taking medications for high blood pressure but still had an average systolic blood pressure of 151 mm Hg. For 26 weeks, participants were given a low or high dose of baxdrostat or a placebo in addition to their standard care.
The results were encouraging. Participants who took baxdrostat had a 55% reduction in the amount of albumin lost in urine compared to those who received a placebo. High levels of albumin in the urine are considered a predictor of heart and kidney disease.
Dr. Jordana Cohen, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at UPenn and former immediate past president of the AHA's Council on Cardiovascular and Renal Sciences, noted the importance of the findings for patients with kidney disease. "The class of medications could change the game in managing hypertension in this group of patients," Dr. Cohen commented in a press release from the AHA.
However, the new drug is not without its side effects. The most common side effect of baxdrostat was elevated blood potassium levels, which occurred in 41% of those who took the drug, compared to just 5% in the placebo group. Most cases of elevated blood potassium levels were mild to moderate, according to the researchers.
The potential benefits of baxdrostat for delaying kidney damage are now being evaluated more thoroughly in two large-scale phase 3 trials. If successful, baxdrostat could offer a significant breakthrough for patients with CKD and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading, measuring the pressure against the walls of the arteries as the heart beats. Uncontrolled blood pressure can worsen kidney function, and a decrease in kidney function can, in turn, raise blood pressure even more, creating a challenging cycle for patients.
The reduction in urine albumin gives researchers hope for long-term benefits, as albumin is a key protein that, when leaked into the urine, can indicate kidney damage. By reducing the amount of albumin in the urine, baxdrostat may help to slow or even halt the progression of kidney disease.
The study was funded by AstraZeneca, the developer of baxdrostat. The new drug baxdrostat, which promises to reduce blood pressure and potentially delay the progression of kidney disease in patients with CKD and uncontrolled high blood pressure, is developed by AstraZeneca and CinCor Pharma, originally from Roche.
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