Antisense Therapeutics for Hypertension: Targeting the Renin-Angiotensin System

Antisense therapeutics can be applied to hypertension. Hypertension is a widespread disease, yet in spite of several excellent drugs for the treatment of hypertension, the number of patients with controlled hypertension is about 27% in the United States. In all other countries studied, even those such as the United Kingdom and Canada, where cost is not a major factor, patient compliance is even worse. Part of the reason for this problem is that current antihypertensive drugs must be taken daily. Some drugs, such as β-blockers, are selective but not highly specific, and side effects are a common reason for patients interrupting their treatment. By not controlling their BP over 24 h, patients experience troughs and peaks in blood pressure (BP). A common regimen of taking a pill in the morning increases the likelihood of stroke or heart attacks at that time, when control is at its weakest.