CLEVELAND — A new drug, baxdrostat, is being hailed as a potential “gamechanger” in the treatment of hard-to-control high blood pressure, a condition also known as resistant hypertension. The medication has shown significant results in clinical trials, offering new hope for a patient population at a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
According to a report from The Guardian, trials of baxdrostat have produced “exciting” results for people whose blood pressure remains dangerously high despite taking several other medications. The BaxHTN study, which included 796 patients across 214 clinics worldwide, demonstrated that after 12 weeks, patients on baxdrostat saw their blood pressure fall by approximately 9-10 mmHg more than those on a placebo. This reduction is considered large enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.
The drug operates with a new approach by blocking aldosterone production, a hormone that regulates blood pressure by managing sodium and potassium levels. Aldosterone dysregulation has been a long-standing research target for treating hypertension. Previous efforts focused on blocking the aldosterone receptor, but as noted by the Cleveland Clinic, these new medications, known as aldosterone synthase inhibitors, work by decreasing the body’s production of the hormone at the source.
Beyond baxdrostat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved other new therapies for resistant hypertension. For example, the drug aprocitentan was recently approved to be used in combination with other antihypertensive medications for adults with uncontrolled blood pressure, as noted by Clinical Options. Another approach, renal denervation, is also now available at various U.S. health systems, including Lehigh Valley Health Network and the University of Kansas Health System. Renal denervation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses ablation techniques to interrupt overactive nerves in the arteries near the kidneys, which can contribute to high blood pressure.
The development and approval of these new treatments provide medical professionals with additional options to help patients who have struggled to achieve their blood pressure goals with existing medications.
