AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) said its experimental drug baxdrostat met the main target in a late-stage study for patients with resistant hypertension.
Specifically, it showed a “statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful” reduction in blood pressure compared with a placebo.
In simple terms, it means the drug clearly lowered blood pressure more than dummy pills, and the drop was big enough to make a real difference to patients’ health.
The 12-week Bax24 trial tested a 2mg dose of baxdrostat in patients whose blood pressure remained high despite taking several medicines.
Those given the drug recorded a greater drop in average systolic blood pressure, the top number in a reading, over 24 hours. The benefit was seen throughout the day, including early morning, when heart attacks and strokes are more common.
Baxdrostat, which is taken once daily, was generally well tolerated, and its safety record matched earlier studies. The treatment works by blocking aldosterone, a hormone that raises blood pressure by causing the body to retain salt and water.
Dr Bryan Williams of University College London, who led the study, called the results "groundbreaking".
Sharon Barr, AstraZeneca’s head of biopharmaceutical research, said the data reflected the drug’s long-lasting effect and “highly selective inhibition of aldosterone synthase”.
She added that the company was “advancing our regulatory filings and rapidly progressing our clinical development programme” for baxdrostat across other conditions, including kidney disease and heart failure prevention.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects an estimated 1.4 billion people worldwide.
About half of patients taking multiple drugs still fail to get it under control, which raises their risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney problems.
The results from the Bax24 study will be shared with regulators and presented at the American Heart Association conference in November.
AstraZeneca acquired baxdrostat in 2023 through its purchase of US biotech firm CinCor Pharma.