Aldosterone News and Research

RSS

Aldosterone is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). It helps control the balance of water and salts in the kidney by keeping sodium in and releasing potassium from the body. Too much aldosterone can cause high blood pressure and a build-up of fluid in body tissues. Aldosterone is a type of mineralocorticoid hormone.

Researchers find kidney-specific gene defects may increase risk of heart failure

Scientists have identified the first DNA sequence variant common in the population that is not only associated with an increased risk of heart failure, but appears to play a role in causing it.

18 Jan 2011

Research provides evidence of blood pressure control system in distal nephron of kidney

Today scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio reported how this essential function of the distal nephron is regulated. They demonstrated that sodium handling by the distal nephron is under the control of a local regulatory system.

18 Jan 2011

FDA approves Novartis' Amturnide for treatment of high blood pressure

Today Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amturnide (aliskiren, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide) tablets for the treatment of high blood pressure. Amturnide combines the only approved direct renin inhibitor worldwide, Tekturna (aliskiren), with the widely used calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

23 Dec 2010

Bayer's SAFYRAL oral contraceptive receives FDA approval

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new oral contraceptive (OC), SAFYRAL™ (drospirenone 3 mg/ ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg/ levomefolate calcium 451 mcg tablets and levomefolate calcium 451 mcg tablets). In women who choose an OC for birth control, SAFYRAL raises folate levels for the purpose of reducing the risk of rare neural tube defects (NTDs) in a pregnancy conceived while taking SAFYRAL or shortly after discontinuing it.

17 Dec 2010

Researchers report results from Phase III DEFINE study for coronary heart disease

Researchers today presented results from the Phase III DEFINE (Determining the EFficacy and Tolerability of CETP INhibition with AnacEtrapib) study with Merck's investigational CETP inhibitor, anacetrapib. In the trial of 1,623 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) or CHD risk equivalents, anacetrapib showed no significant differences from placebo in the primary safety measures studied.

18 Nov 2010

Scios announces results of ASCEND-HF trial for ADHF treatment

Scios Inc. announced today that the landmark investigational study of NATRECOR (nesiritide) for the treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF), ASCEND-HF, demonstrated no statistically significant difference from placebo in the co-primary endpoints of dyspnea, measured at six and 24 hours, or in the composite of heart failure re-hospitalizations and death during the first 30 days following treatment.

15 Nov 2010

Study sheds light on difficulty of controlling blood pressure in patients with high aldosterone levels

A hormone already responsible for increasing blood pressure by prompting the kidneys to retain salt appears to moonlight as a major stimulator of the brain centers that control the vascular system and blood pressure.

10 Nov 2010

Biomarkers can improve ability to identify patients at high risk of CKD: Study

Measuring three biomarkers in a single blood sample may improve physicians' ability to identify patients at high risk of developing chronic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

22 Oct 2010

Researchers discover blocking beta-arrestin 1 protein can reduce severity of heart failure

A Nova Southeastern University (NSU) researcher has announced a breakthrough discovery to block a protein that can contribute to heart failure. His discovery will appear in an upcoming issue of the prestigious medical journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

18 Oct 2010

Hypertension drug market to decline by $3 billion in 2019: Decision Resources

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that, owing to increasing generic availability of antihypertensive agents, the hypertension drug market will decline from $26 billion in 2009 to $23 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

29 Sep 2010

Bayer’s new oral contraceptive receives FDA approval

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new oral contraceptive, Beyaz (drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol / levomefolate calcium tablets and levomefolate calcium tablets).

28 Sep 2010

Relypsa announces positive results from Phase 2 clinical trial of RLY5016

Relypsa, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing non-absorbed polymeric drugs, today announced positive results from the company's PEARL-HF study, a Phase 2 clinical trial of the company's lead compound, RLY5016. These data were presented by Dr. Bertram Pitt, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Division of Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, during the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Session in an oral presentation titled "The PEARL-HF (Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group, Multiple-Dose To Evaluate the Effects of RLY5016 in Heart Failure Patients) Trial" at the 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America held in San Diego, CA September 13-15, 2010.

16 Sep 2010

Endocrine Society releases new clinical practice guideline on congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Today, The Endocrine Society released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.

7 Sep 2010

Selective lowering of heart rate reduces risk of death and hospitalization: Study

The results of a major international study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm and published simultaneously in The Lancet show, for the first time, that selectively lowering heart rate with a novel medication, ivabradine, significantly reduces risk of death and hospitalization for patients with heart failure. This also resolves a longstanding debate about whether lowering heart rate itself can actually lower the risk of heart disease progression.

30 Aug 2010

RLY5016 potassium binder helps to regulate hyperkalemia in heart failure patients

Results from a recent phase 2b clinical trial may provide a new approach to managing excess potassium levels in patients with heart failure and heart failure with chronic kidney disease.

30 Aug 2010

FDA approves Novartis' Tekamlo for treatment of high blood pressure

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tekamlo™ (aliskiren and amlodipine) tablets, a single-pill for the treatment of high blood pressure combining the only approved direct renin inhibitor, Tekturna® (aliskiren), with the widely used calcium channel blocker amlodipine. Tekamlo is approved as initial therapy for patients who are likely to need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure goals, and as replacement therapy for patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled with either aliskiren or amlodipine alone.

27 Aug 2010

Amneal Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Spironolactone HCl tablets

Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC is pleased to announce that it has received U.S. FDA approval to manufacture Spironolactone HCl tablets in 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg strengths effective July 2, 2010.

26 Aug 2010

Sinobiopharma inks agreement with Lianhuan to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone

Sinobiopharma, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical products company with primary operations in China, today announced that the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Dong Ying Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has signed an agreement with Jiangsu Lianhuan Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone, a therapeutic agent formulated to treat high blood pressure and vascular diseases.

11 Aug 2010

Process improvement program improves adherence to evidence-based CRT, ICD and drug therapy

Results of the largest U.S. outpatient heart failure clinical study show that implementation of a process improvement program significantly improved adherence to evidence-based, guideline-recommended cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and drug therapy.

27 Jul 2010

Study tests new performance intervention to improve heart failure patients in outpatient setting

A study led by UCLA tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting.