AstraZeneca Stock Rises As Experimental Drug Lowers Blood Pressure In Late-Stage Study, Retail’s Yet To React

AstraZeneca (AZN) on Monday said that its investigational drug Baxdrostat reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared with placebo at 12 weeks in a late-stage study evaluating the drug in uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension.

Nasdaq-listed shares of the company traded 0.3% higher at the time of writing.

The reduction in systolic blood pressure was both statistically significant and clinically meaningful, the company said in a statement. Baxdrostat was generally well tolerated with a favourable safety profile in the trial, where patients with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension received the investigational drug or placebo on top of standard of care.

According to AstraZeneca, there are 1.3 billion people worldwide living with hypertension, a medical condition characterised by consistently high blood pressure levels, which can, over time, damage blood vessels and vital organs. While uncontrolled hypertension persists despite treatment with two or more medications, resistant hypertension, a more severe form, remains elevated despite treatment with three or more medications.

A key contributor to hypertension is aldosterone, a hormone that increases blood pressure by promoting sodium and water retention. Baxdrostat is an oral, small-molecule investigational drug that inhibits an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of aldosterone in the adrenal gland.

AstraZeneca acquired Baxdrostat through its purchase of CinCor Pharma, Inc. in February 2023. A contingent value right of $10 per share in cash is payable to former CinCor shareholders upon the submission of a new drug application either in the U.S. or Europe.

AstraZeneca said on Monday that the data from the late-stage trial will be shared with regulatory authorities around the world, but did not detail when it will seek approval for the drug from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Baxdrostat is currently being investigated in clinical trials for hypertension, primary aldosteronism, chronic kidney disease, and the prevention of heart failure in high-risk hypertensive patients.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around AstraZeneca is unchanged within the ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours, accompanied by ‘low’ message volume.

AZN stock was up by 9% this year but down by about 9% over the past 12 months.

Read Next: GSK Seeks FDA Approval For RSV Vaccine In More Adults: Retail Sees No Reason To Shift Their Bullish Stance

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.