Millions of high blood pressure patients could get a simple injection twice a year instead of daily pills to protect themselves against heart attacks and strokes

Millions of high blood pressure patients in the UK could soon receive a simple injection twice a year instead of daily pills to protect themselves against heart attacks and strokes.

Just one dose of the drug zilebesiran can lower blood pressure within two weeks, and the effects last up to six months, according to the results of a new study.

On average, patients saw a drop of 10 to 12 points, which experts say represents a 20 percent reduction in the risk of strokes, heart attacks and other heart attacks. They also say the injections are so simple that they can be self-administered at home, like commonly used diabetes medications.

The news was announced at the American Heart Association’s annual scientific meetings in Philadelphia, and although only a few hundred patients participated in the early-stage trial, the results were so positive that cardiologists saw it as a potential paradigm shift.

Chicago-based heart expert Professor George Bakris, who was involved in the studies, said the idea of ​​shedding the burden of taking daily pills for two injections a year was so popular that his patients were “lining up” to get it. take to get it. medication.

Just one dose of the drug zilebesiran can lower blood pressure within two weeks, and the effects last up to six months, according to the results of a new study (stock photo).

“If it does what it promises, it will be a big change in treatment,” he said, adding that larger studies are now needed.

High blood pressure, also known medically as hypertension, affects an estimated 14.4 million people in the UK – a quarter of all adults. However, the disease rarely presents with noticeable symptoms – and it is thought that up to four million of these cases go undiagnosed because they have never been tested.

Dr Manish Saxena, a cardiologist at Barts Health NHS Trust who oversaw the UK trials of zilebesiran, said: “High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, but many patients remain poorly controlled.” Some forget to take their daily medication, others suffer from side effects. “This injection is so simple that there is no reason why patients cannot self-administer it, as they do with diabetes medications such as insulin.”

Mild high blood pressure can be controlled by lifestyle changes – more exercise and less salt – but many sufferers will need medication at some point, and this is usually lifelong.

There are a wide variety of medication options. But according to Dr. Saxena, patients may suffer from headaches, stomach problems, swelling of the legs and hands, sexual dysfunction and even hair loss. “This new injection does not seem to cause any significant problems,” he said.

“A vaccination every six months is easier for patients and given the pressure the NHS has been under since the pandemic, it’s exactly the kind of solution we need to help people stay healthy.” “A treatment like this has the potential to become a new gold standard.”

Zilebesiran works by turning off the gene involved in the production of angiotensin, a hormone that narrows blood vessels and leads to increased blood pressure. Several existing drugs target angiotensin, but this is the first to interrupt production “at the source.”

So far, only patients with mild to moderate high blood pressure have participated in the studies. “We hope that in the future we will see similar benefits in people with larger and more difficult to treat problems,” said Dr. Saxena. “Our patients are very positive. They like the fact that their blood pressure can be controlled with very little medication.”