Jab that will make blood pressure pills history and save tens of thousands of lives

12 April 2012

The injection reduces blood pressure at the most dangerous time of the day

Just three injections, topped up with booster shots, could be enough to keep at bay the condition which blights the lives of a third of British adults.

The vaccine, which removes the need for taking daily tablets, is expected to be available within just four years.

High blood pressure, which doubles the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke, is blamed for more than 62,000 deaths a year.

Although it can be treated with pills, many patients stop taking them because of side-effects like fatigue and nausea or simply because they feel healthy.

After the initial three injections, a booster jab once every few months could prove a life-saver, simply by making it easier for patients to control their blood pressure.

It works by tricking the body into producing antibodies against angiotensin - a hormone that raises blood pressure by narrowing the blood vessels.

Trials show a course of three injections can cause blood pressure to drop as much as some tablets.

Importantly, the largest fall was seen in the early hours of the morning - a time when levels of angiotensin are high and the peak time for heart attacks and strokes.

Scientists behind the latest drug, said tablets failed to combat this danger period mainly because users tend to take their tablets later in the day with their breakfast.

It is thought the antibodies act like a "sponge", soaking up excess angiotensin as it made.

Trials on 72 adults showed the jab reduced daytime blood pressure by 9mmHg and early morning readings by 25 mmHg. Side-effects amounted to little more than a headache.

Dr Martin Bachmann, of Swiss vaccine developer Cytos, said: "You would ideally use it in newly-diagnosed hypertensive people, where the vaccine alone would be enough to control blood pressure. It could be the front-line treatment."

He added that the jab's main advantage would be its ability to control blood pressure for long periods at a time, removing the need for patients to remember to take a tablet every day.

In time it could also be used to ward off problems in young men and women with a family history of heart disease.

It is not known how much the vaccine will cost but it is unlikely to be much more expensive than blood pressure tablets, some of which cost just a few pence a day.

Available privately at first, the jab will not be offered on the NHS unless the Government's drugs rationing body, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, decides its benefits outweigh its cost.

High blood pressure, which is often symptomless and so goes unnoticed until it is too late, is the leading cause of death by heart disease and stroke.

It can also lead to fatal kidney disease and raises the risk of developing dementia.

Some blood pressure tablets already available work by cutting production of angiotensin or stopping it from working properly. The vaccine, however, harnesses the body's immune system to attack the hormone.

It an empty virus shell to carry angiotensin into the body and fool it into producing antibodies against the hormone.

Eliza Gwynne is one patient who can see the benefits of the blood pressure vaccine.

She was just 20 when she discovered she had the blood pressure problems of a middle-aged man.

Since then, she has taken three types of pill in an effort to find one with the fewest side-effects.

The first she tried, diuretics, raised her cholesterol.

She then switched to a pill which gave her mouth ulcers and other "horrible" side-effects including extreme sleepiness.

Now 39, Miss Gwynne, of London, takes blood pressure-lowering drugs called ace inhibitors.

She said: "I consider myself lucky because my high blood pressure was picked up so early but many people have no idea and could be in trouble without knowing it.

"I can see a vaccine could be of benefit to some people if they forget to take their tablets."

Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Blood Pressure Association, described the vaccine as an "interesting" development.

He said: "It is also worth bearing in mind that most patients need to take more than one type of medicine to effectively treat high blood pressure, so alternative ways to administer all of these medicines would need to be found before the effective treatment of high blood pressure could truly be 'tablet free'."

Dr Tim Chico, a consultant cardiologist at Sheffield University, said: "Most patients dislike taking tablets for high blood pressure, and would welcome an alternative.

"Immunisation is an innovative and exciting prospect."

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