Drug May Aid Resistant High Blood Pressure

A new type of drug may help people whose high blood pressure is hard to treat, a study suggests. The new drug is darusentan. It is called an endothelin-receptor antagonist. It lowers blood pressure in a new way. The study included 379 people. Their blood pressure was still high despite taking three drugs for it. They were randomly divided into four groups. One group received fake pills (placebo). The others were given darusentan. Each group got a different dose. The study lasted 14 weeks. The darusentan groups had an average 17 to 18 point drop in systolic blood pressure. This is the higher number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic pressure (the lower number) dropped 10 to 11 points. Blood pressure dropped 9 points systolic and 5 points diastolic for the placebo group. The journal Lancet published the article online September 13.