Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said results from a phase one study on a new drug called zilebesiran, per The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), indicate daily blood pressure pills could be a past memory. .The NEJM confirmed zilebesiran was associated with dependent reductions in serum angiotensinogen, achieving normal blood pressure control with a consistent, durable drop throughout a 24-hour period compared to the placebo..This period lasted for up to six months after single doses of 200 milligrams. .“In this context, the data we have published in NEJM are exciting, suggesting the potential role for zilebesiran to treat hypertension in a novel way via a novel, subcutaneously administered gene-silencing approach to hypertension,” said Brigham and Women’s Hospital Director of the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Program and study co-author Dr. Akshay Desa in a Wednesday press release..“This novel approach may provide durable, tonic blood pressure control with infrequent, office-based dosing and a favourable safety profile.”.Desai said additional clinical trials will “provide further insights into the potential of this approach to improve clinical outcomes in the growing population of patients with hypertension.”.The NEJM said it demonstrated an acceptable safety profile supporting continued clinical development, and the most frequent treatment-related adverse events were mild, short-term injection-site reactions. .Desai acknowledged hypertension is the leading cause of premature death, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease worldwide. Its global prevalence is increasing as the population ages and more people develop unhealthy habits..Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive treatments, he said about half of patients with hypertension fail to achieve guideline-recommended blood pressure targets, leaving them at higher risk for heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease progression, and mortality. .For clinicians, the challenge in optimizing treatment of hypertension is worsened by poor adherence to prescribed medical therapy and substantial variability in blood pressure between office visits and throughout the day. .“The data published in NEJM suggest the potential for zilebesiran to be an effective and highly-differentiated treatment that may help people with hypertension achieve sustained blood pressure control,” said Alnylam Zilebesiran Program Lead Vice President, Simon Fox. .“To that end, we are currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of zilebesiran in our KARDIA Phase 2 clinical program either as a monotherapy or in combination with a standard of care antihypertensive medication, and we look forward to reporting results from these programs in mid- and late 2023, respectively.”
