New blood pressure drug offers hope for UAE residents with hard-to-treat hypertension

Dubai: A promising new blood pressure medication could soon help thousands of UAE residents struggling with treatment-resistant hypertension, one of the most common health concerns across the region.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca said its experimental pill Baxdrostat significantly reduced blood pressure in patients who haven’t responded well to other treatments. The drug was tested in a late-stage clinical trial, and showed a clinically meaningful drop in systolic blood pressure — the top number in a BP reading, which reflects how hard the heart pumps.

This is welcome news for the UAE, where heart disease and hypertension are leading health risks, particularly among middle-aged and older adults. According to health authorities, many residents live with high blood pressure without knowing it — and even those on medication don’t always see results.

“The reality is that hypertension is still a huge burden for so many people around the world,” said Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca’s biopharmaceuticals business, defending the company’s focus on developing a new solution despite the crowded market.

Hypertension — often called a “silent killer” — is especially concerning in the UAE due to lifestyle-related risk factors, including stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, and high rates of obesity and diabetes. Many patients are already on multiple medications, yet their BP levels remain dangerously high.

AstraZeneca says that up to 50% of patients in the US alone don’t have their blood pressure under control even with several treatments — a pattern that doctors in the UAE are familiar with.

Baxdrostat is taken once a day as a pill, and works by targeting a hormone called aldosterone, which plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. It belongs to a new class of drugs called aldosterone synthase inhibitors, designed to control BP at the hormonal level — something current treatments often fail to do.

The drug was acquired through AstraZeneca’s $1.8 billion purchase of CinCor Pharma in 2023 and is now one of the company’s top pipeline priorities. AstraZeneca hopes to bring it to market in 2026, following regulatory approvals.

So far, the trial results suggest that Baxdrostat is not only effective, but also well-tolerated with a good safety profile, the company said. More detailed findings will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in August, one of the most-watched global events in heart health.

With chronic disease on the rise and cardiovascular care a growing focus in the UAE, experts say Baxdrostat could be a useful addition to local treatment plans — particularly for patients who feel they’ve “tried everything” without results.