AstraZeneca on Saturday, unveiled promising results for a new hypertension treatment that aims to help the roughly 650,000 people with uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Over the course of 12 weeks, a two-milligram dose AstraZeneca's daily pill, baxdrostat lowered patients' systolic blood pressure by 15.7 millimeters of mercury, or mmHg. This is a common measure of blood pressure in medicine. That outperformed the placebo by 9.8 mmHg. The one-milligram dose led to a total reduction of 14.5 mmHg, topping the placebo by 8.7 mmHg.
The results topped analysts' expectations. Goldman Sachs analyst Rajan Sharma said a reduction of just 6.5 mmHg would be meaningful with a 10 mmHg improvement "likely to drive significant interest amongst the physician community." Sharma noted a drug already approved for patients with resistant hypertension lowers blood pressure by just four mmHg.
Ruud Dobber, who heads up AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals business, says the results put the firm one step closer to reaching the goal of achieving $80 billion in sales by 2030. He calls baxdrostat a $5 billion-plus opportunity.
"These results are really, in our humble view, groundbreaking," he told Investor's Business Daily. "It will have a huge impact on what we expect in clinical practice. And, from an investor perspective, I think it's a proof point that we are well on track to deliver our $80 billion ambition."
AstraZeneca's 'Game-Changing' News
Baxdrostat blocks aldosterone, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone acts by signaling the kidneys to retain sodium and water. But some people produce too much aldosterone, meaning their bodies retain sodium, driving blood pressure higher.
AstraZeneca ran its study in people facing uncontrolled high blood pressure despite taking two drugs to combat it.
Dobber called the results "game-changing." Uncontrolled hypertension puts patients at risk of a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or chronic kidney disease.
AstraZeneca stock is forming a lengthy consolidation with a buy point at 87.67, according to MarketSurge. Shares are well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
Rivaling Mineralys' Drug
Importantly, the results compare favorably with Mineralys Therapeutics' lorundrostat. Like baxdrostat, lorundrostat targets dysregulated aldosterone.
In Mineralys' study, patients on multiple additional hypertension drugs were given a 50-milligram dose of lorundrostat for 12 weeks. They had a 9.1 mmHg reduction compared to the placebo.
But AstraZeneca's Dobber notes baxdrostat has a significantly longer half-life than lorundrostat. It stays in the body for longer, meaning patients are protected from high blood pressure all day. Goldman Sachs' Sharma notes baxdrostat's half-life is 26 to 31 hours, vs. 10 to 12 hours for lorundrostat.
"If you have a longer half-life, that supports consistent 24-hour control of blood pressure including overnight when patients are most vulnerable to cardiovascular events," Dobber said.
Minimal Side Effects For AstraZeneca
Further, baxdrostat doesn't have any drug-drug interactions with other common meds known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. These drugs, which include Nexium, treat excessive stomach acid present in conditions like heartburn or ulcers.
Mineralys management has noted that lorundrostat was poorly absorbed by patients taking PPIs. The drug is formulated as a basic salt and needs an acidic environment — like the stomach — to fully dissolve. But PPIs reduce stomach acid. Patients were encouraged to take PPIs in the evenings with lorundrostat in the morning to reduce the impact, said Sharma, of Goldman Sachs.
That's not the case for baxdrostat, Dobber said.
Further, just 1.1% of patients experienced hyperkalemia in AstraZeneca's study. Hyperkalemia is where there is too much potassium in the blood, a sign of kidney disease. Some older blood pressure meds can cause hyperkalemia by preventing the kidneys from removing enough potassium.
"Investors will be happy and somewhat relieved because that was always something they were very keen to understand," he said.
New Class Of Blood Pressure Meds?
Dobber predicts AstraZeneca will have a first-in-class and best-in-class new treatment for hypertension.
Analysts have slightly lower predictions for baxdrostat compared to AstraZeneca. Intron Health analyst Naresh Chouhan predicts a peak of $4.1 billion from the drug, while Goldman Sachs' Sharma calls for $4 billion in non-risk-adjusted peak sales. UBS analyst Colin White also predicts $4 billion in peak sales from the drug, with $3 billion of it, alone, coming from uncontrolled hypertension.
AstraZeneca is also studying baxdrostat as a solo treatment for primary aldosteronism, a condition in which the body makes too much aldosterone. It's also being tested in combination with AstraZeneca's Farxiga for chronic kidney disease and heart failure. Farxiga treats type 2 diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
Follow Allison Gatlin on X/Twitter at @AGatlin_IBD.
