Update on Newer Antihypertensive Medicines

ABSTRACT

The majority of hypertensive patients do not achieve target blood pressure for a variety of reasons, including insufficient medication, drug resistance, and noncompliance. There remains a significant need to develop new agents to better control hypertension. Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-adrenergic receptor blocker which is very highly cardioselective and has direct vasodilator properties via stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity. Aliskiren is the first orally active inhibitor of renin as an antihypertensive agent. It is associated with dose-related falls in blood pressure comparable to other major classes of antihypertensive drugs with a placebo level of side effects. Endothelin is a powerful vasoconstrictor peptide. An endothelin-receptor antagonist such as bosentan significantly lowered blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension. Vasopeptidase inhibitors inhibit neutral endopeptidase and angiotensin converting enzymes, but side-effects such as angio-oedema and cough remain to be overcome. AngQb vaccine in hypertensive patients showed a marked reduction in early morning blood pressure without serious adverse events.