An ‘injection’ against high blood pressure developed by American scientists is proving successful in more and more clinical trials. After an initial phase I study in 107 hypertensive patients, the new active ingredient zilebesiran has now been successfully tested in a phase II study in 394 people from Canada, the US, Great Britain and Ukraine.
Worldwide, 1.3 billion people suffer from high blood pressure. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and stroke. Despite generally effective medications, not all patients receive optimal care. Fluctuating values can be especially problematic. People often forget to make preparations every day.
The American biotech company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is committed to the development of completely new medicines. The principle: The active ingredients are short artificial RNA sequences that specifically block the body’s own production of one protein.
Using a trick, the RNA sequence is made long-lived
After the first such drugs were approved for the treatment of rare diseases, the principle was now also used in the development of zilebesiran for the treatment of the common disease hypertension. This is an RNA sequence that has been made durable by a chemical trick, accumulates in the liver and prevents the formation of angiotensinogen there. Angiotensinogen is a precursor to angiotensin, which increases blood pressure.
According to initial studies, zilebesiran with a single injection of a dose of 200 milligrams led to a 24-week reduction in angiotensinogen levels in the (blood) serum and to normalization of blood pressure. Further studies with regular administration showed a reduction in blood pressure (systolic/during the pumping phase of the heart) of 14.1 to 16.7 mmHg in the subjects compared to a placebo group.
Permanent reduction through biannual vaccination?
“These data highlight an opportunity to achieve lasting reductions in blood pressure with twice-yearly administration of zilebesiran. This could also be increased by combining it with other blood pressure medications,” the scientists involved in the study wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Source: Krone
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