New drug can help patients with treatment-resistant high blood pressure
A new medicine called baxdrostat is showing real promise for people whose high blood pressure just won't budge with regular treatments.
Unveiled at a major heart conference in late August 2025, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found that baxdrostat dropped blood pressure by about 9-10 mmHg more than a placebo over just 12 weeks.
How it works
The global trial involved nearly 800 patients from all over, and about 40% of those taking baxdrostat reached healthy blood pressure levels—way more than those on placebo.
Baxdrostat works by blocking aldosterone production, a hormone that makes your body hold onto salt and water (which pushes up blood pressure).
Lead researcher Prof Bryan Williams says this could help up to half a billion people worldwide.
Cardiologist Prof Paul Leeson said it could become "a valuable additional treatment" to tackle high blood pressure.