Blood pressure treatment: AstraZeneca's Baxdrostat delivers hope for patients with hard-to-treat hypertension

Positive high-level results from the Bax24 Phase III trial showed baxdrostat demonstrated a statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful reduction in ambulatory 24-hour average systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared with placebo at 12 weeks, AstraZeneca said in a statement on Tuesday. Efficacy was observed throughout the 24-hour period, including early morning, when patients with hypertension are at a higher risk of cardiovascular events, it added.

The data will be shared with regulatory authorities around the world and presented in a late‑breaking session at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in November 2025, the company has said.

Baxdrostat is a potential first-in-class, highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor (ASI) that targets the hormone driving elevated blood pressure and increased cardiovascular and renal risk. It is currently being investigated in clinical trials as a monotherapy for hypertension and primary aldosteronism, and in combination with dapagliflozin for chronic kidney disease and the prevention of heart failure in high-risk hypertensive patients, the pharma company had said in a statement in July 2025. BaxHTN is a Phase III, multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and effect of baxdrostat in patients with uncontrolled hypertension being treated with two different antihypertensive medications and patients with resistant hypertension being treated with three or more different antihypertensive medications, one of which is a diuretic, it had added.

What is treatment-resistant hypertension ?
Ever feel like no matter what meds you take, your blood pressure just won’t budge? That’s what doctors call treatment-resistant hypertension, basically, high blood pressure that sticks around even after you’re taking three or more medications, including a diuretic (water pill), at the right doses.

It’s not super rare either. Millions of people deal with it, and it can be seriously frustrating. Sometimes it’s because of underlying health issues like kidney disease, sleep apnea, or hormone imbalances. Other times, lifestyle habits, too much salt, stress, or skipping doses, can play a big role. And for some folks, their bodies are just tougher to treat because of genetic or hormonal factors that mess with how blood pressure is regulated.

The danger? Constant high blood pressure puts strain on your heart, arteries, and kidneys, raising your risk of heart attack, stroke, or organ damage.

AstraZeneca has previously said that it expects to file for regulatory approval of the drug before the end of the year.