(Reuters) -AstraZeneca’s experimental drug baxdrostat significantly lowered blood pressure during a 24-hour window of monitoring in a late-stage trial of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, it said on Tuesday.
The company said the drug met the main goal of the study when compared to placebo at the end of 12 weeks. Patients in the trial had received 2 milligrams of baxdrostat or placebo on top of standard care.
The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker has previously said that it expects to file for regulatory approval for baxdrostat before year-end and sees peak annual sales for the drug topping $5 billion.
Baxdrostat targets blood pressure-regulating hormone aldosterone, a novel approach compared with older treatments like diuretics and ACE inhibitors, which do not address hormonal drivers.
The drug is currently being investigated for four indications, including chronic kidney disease and prevention of heart failure.
Mineralys Therapeutics is developing a similar drug, lorundrostat, and expects to submit its own data to U.S. authorities by the end of the year.
AstraZeneca acquired baxdrostat through its 2023 purchase of CinCor Pharma as part of efforts to expand its pipeline in heart and kidney disease.
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Kirsten Donovan)
