For many people living with kidney disease, keeping blood pressure under control is one of the most important parts of daily care, and one of the most frustrating when the numbers stay stubbornly high. So it is encouraging to see fresh progress here. A new blood pressure drug called Baxdrostat has just gained approval in the United States for people whose blood pressure stays high despite existing treatment, as reported in the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
A first of its kind blood pressure drug
Baxdrostat, which will be sold as Baxfendy, has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use alongside other blood pressure medicines. Made by AstraZeneca, it is the first of a new class known as aldosterone synthase inhibitors. Aldosterone is a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure, and this blood pressure drug works by lowering the amount the body produces. Earlier medicines aimed at this hormone also affected cortisol, a related hormone, so Baxdrostat was designed to act more selectively.
What the BaxHTN trial showed
Approval was based on a trial called BaxHTN, which involved around 800 people whose blood pressure remained high despite existing treatment, described in the trial as uncontrolled or resistant hypertension. They received Baxdrostat or a placebo in addition to their usual treatment. After 12 weeks, average seated systolic blood pressure, the top number in a reading, fell by about 14.5 points on the lower dose and 15.7 points on the higher dose, compared with about 5.8 points on placebo. Around 40 per cent of those taking the medicine reached a controlled blood pressure, against 19 per cent on placebo. The results appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, alongside an independent editorial that welcomed the findings while noting that longer term data is still needed. One of that editorial’s authors, Professor Maciej Tomaszewski, is a hypertension specialist at the University of Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary, the hospital where MRIKPA was founded.
Why blood pressure matters so much for kidney health
High blood pressure and kidney disease are closely linked. Raised blood pressure can gradually damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys, and damaged kidneys can in turn push blood pressure higher, creating a difficult cycle. Bringing blood pressure down is one of the most effective ways to protect kidney function, which is why blood pressure guidance for kidney patients is such a regular part of renal care. Everyday steps matter too, and many people find approaches such as the DASH diet helpful alongside their medicines. Encouragingly, Baxdrostat is also being studied specifically in people with chronic kidney disease, so its relevance to kidney patients may grow.
What this means for patients in the UK
This approval applies in the United States. In the UK, new medicines follow their own separate route: they are first reviewed by the medicines regulator, the MHRA, and then assessed by bodies such as NICE before being offered routinely on the NHS. That process runs on its own timeline. For now, Baxdrostat is not yet available in the UK, and anyone with questions about their own blood pressure should speak with their renal or GP team about the options available to them.
At MRIKPA, we welcome developments like this that aim to give people more ways to manage a condition so central to kidney health. We will keep following Baxdrostat’s progress, including any steps towards its availability in the UK. Sometimes it simply helps to talk with people who understand from their own experience, so if you would like to connect with others, you are always welcome to get in touch at support@mrikpa.org.uk or call 07745 242 684. You can also explore more in our Patient Knowledge Bank.
Source: Asher Mullard, “FDA approves first-in-class hypertension drug”, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 20 May 2026. Read the original article.
This article is provided for general information and awareness purposes only and was believed to be accurate at the time of publishing. It is not intended as medical advice. Please always consult your doctor or renal team for guidance on your individual circumstances. Images used are for illustration purposes only and may not be medically or editorially accurate. While we take every care, errors can occur. If you spot an inaccuracy, please let us know at support@mrikpa.org.uk.
