Zilebeziran, whose single dose lowers blood pressure for six months, is unlikely to be widely used due to its cost and effectiveness of standard treatment. This was told socialbites.ca by a cardiologist, a young researcher at the Russian Gerontological Research and Clinical Center of the Russian National Research Medical University. NI Pirogov Vadim Zakiev.
In July 2023, the results of the first phase of clinical trials of Zilebeziran were published. One injection of this drug reduced the patients’ upper (systolic) pressure by 10-20 mm Hg. For six months, Zilebesiran is based on messenger RNA, which blocks the gene responsible for the production of angiotensinogen protein, an angiotensin precursor. The latter causes vasoconstriction and leads to an increase in pressure.
“The drug Inclisiran, which works according to the same scheme, has already been approved. It is used to lower cholesterol in people who cannot tolerate commonly used statins or who cannot meet their cholesterol goals on standard therapy. I would not say that this drug has somehow significantly changed medical practice: there are very few people for whom it is truly indicated. Like Inclisiran, the new drug is likely to be expensive. It is not entirely clear to whom it can be useful, since modern treatment of hypertension is quite effective: it is impossible to achieve target blood pressure values only in isolated cases, ”Zakiev told socialbites.ca.
Because the drug acts directly on the cause of high blood pressure, it may have fewer side effects compared to standard drugs. However, the safety of this treatment remains to be tested.
“If the drug is not safe, it will not be allowed to be licensed. However, there are concerns among some physicians that zilebesiran may cause too low blood pressure, ie hypotension. If this is indeed the case, some medications will be able to deal with it. There are some side effects with any drug, but their prevalence in the zilebeziran case will become clearer after the second and third phase of clinical trials: only the first has been completed so far. It will take about ten years, ”Zakiev concluded.
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