Scientists Reveal Breakthrough Blood Pressure Treatment That Works When Others Fail
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects around 1.3 billion people worldwide.
In nearly half of these cases, blood pressure remains uncontrolled or resistant to treatment.
People with treatment-resistant hypertension face much higher risks. These include heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and early death. In the UK alone, about 14 million people live with high blood pressure.
A New Option for Treatment-Resistant Hypertension
New findings from a Phase III clinical trial offer hope for people whose blood pressure stays dangerously high despite multiple medications.
The international BaxHTN trial, led by the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science and sponsored by AstraZeneca, tested a new drug called baxdrostat. Patients take the drug as a once-daily tablet.
Nearly 800 patients took part across 214 clinics worldwide. The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH supported the study. Researchers published the results in the New England Journal of Medicine.
How Effective Is Baxdrostat?
After 12 weeks, patients taking baxdrostat saw meaningful improvements.
Those on 1 mg or 2 mg daily experienced an average blood pressure reduction of 9–10 mmHg more than placebo. This drop is large enough to significantly lower cardiovascular risk.
Around 40% of patients reached healthy blood pressure levels. Fewer than 20% of patients on placebo achieved the same result.
Lower blood pressure at this level reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease.
Aldosterone test tube
Why Aldosterone Matters
Blood pressure is strongly influenced by a hormone called aldosterone.
This hormone helps the kidneys regulate salt and water balance.
Some people produce too much aldosterone. As a result, their bodies retain excess salt and water. This process pushes blood pressure higher and makes it difficult to control.
Researchers have tried for decades to address aldosterone imbalance. Until now, success has been limited.
How Baxdrostat Works
Baxdrostat directly blocks aldosterone production.
By targeting this key driver of hypertension, it addresses the root cause rather than just the symptoms.
Sustained Results and Safety Findings
Patients with uncontrolled or resistant hypertension continued standard treatment while adding baxdrostat.
Over time, they maintained clinically meaningful reductions in systolic blood pressure. These benefits lasted for up to 32 weeks.
Importantly, researchers reported no unexpected safety concerns during the study period.
These findings suggest that aldosterone plays a major role in difficult-to-control blood pressure for millions of people worldwide.
A Growing Global Health Need
In the past, higher-income Western countries reported the highest rates of hypertension.
However, this pattern has changed.
Dietary shifts, including reduced salt intake in some regions, have altered global trends. Today, hypertension affects far more people in Asia and lower-income countries.
More than half of all people with high blood pressure now live in Asia.
This includes an estimated 226 million people in China and 199 million in India.
What This Could Mean for the Future
Researchers believe baxdrostat could potentially help hundreds of millions of people globally.
In the UK alone, it may benefit up to 10 million people, especially under newer, stricter blood pressure targets.
While further evaluation continues, this breakthrough offers renewed hope for patients who have struggled to control their blood pressure with existing treatments. PRIME
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