A new drug called baxdrostat has shown surprising results in treating high blood pressure. Patients who took the drug for six to 12 months saw their blood pressure improve and the benefits remained for up to two years after they stopped taking it. Some patients no longer needed any hypertension drugs and potentially had their condition cured.
The drug targets a hormone called aldosterone, which is overproduced by small nodules on the adrenal glands in some cases of high blood pressure. Baxdrostat suppresses this hormone and may destroy the cells that overproduce it. The drug was approved in the US for patients with uncontrolled hypertension and is being assessed for use in the UK.
A small study showed that nearly a quarter of patients came off all treatment and had normal blood pressure up to two years later. Larger trials are needed to confirm these results and determine if baxdrostat can cure primary aldosteronism.
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