Mega Doctor News
CLEVELAND CLINIC – A Cleveland Clinic-led study shows that a once-monthly injection of tonlamarsen successfully lowered angiotensinogen levels, which helps regulate blood pressure by constricting blood vessels and triggering water and sodium intake.
Findings of the Phase 2 clinical trial were presented today during a late-breaking science session at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting in New Orleans and simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when the force of blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. This damages the arteries over time and can lead to serious complications like heart attack or stroke.
Uncontrolled or resistant hypertension is when blood pressure remains high or unmanaged, despite taking medications. People with hard-to-treat, resistant hypertension have an even higher risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart failure than those whose high blood pressure is regulated.
The multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled Kardinal trial enrolled adults with systolic blood pressure greater than 135 mmHg and on two to five blood pressure medications. Participants entered a three-part treatment period with monthly injections of the drug, consisting of a four-week placebo lead-in, followed by a single monthly dose of active drug. After that, participants were randomly assigned to either four more monthly doses of tonlamarsen or a placebo for 16 weeks.
Researchers analyzed the change in both angiotensinogen levels and blood pressure readings from the start of the study to Week 20. Results showed that five monthly doses of 90mg tonlamarsen monthly lowered angiotensinogen more than a single dose of tonlamarsen. However, researchers found that one monthly dose of tonlamarsen was as effective as five monthly doses in lowering average systolic blood pressure by 6 to 7 mmHg.
“While continued dosing with tonlamarsen reduced angiotensinogen more than a one-time treatment, both treatment strategies reduced blood pressure to a similar extent,” said Luke Laffin, M.D., principal investigator and co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders in the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. “It’s important to continue to study tonlamarsen in the patients who really need it, including those with acute severe hypertension, since so many struggle to take daily medications.”
The trial was funded by Kardigan, developer of tonlamarsen.
Dr. Laffin serves on the academic steering committee for Kardigan. He receives no personal compensation for this role.
