Renin News and Research

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Renin, also known as angiotensinogenase, is an enzyme that participates in the body's renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that mediates extracellular volume (i.e., that of the blood plasma, lymph and interstitial fluid), and arterial vasoconstriction. Thus, it regulates the body's mean arterial blood pressure.

Common genetic risk factor for heart failure in Caucasians also linked to kidney function

Nearly five million Americans live with heart failure, with as many as 700,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In addition to lifestyle factors, scientists have shown that heart failure has a strong heritable component, but identifying the responsible genes has been a major challenge. Now, new research has identified a common genetic risk factor for heart failure in Caucasians that is also linked to kidney function.

19 Jan 2011

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

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

ISHIB releases new recommendations to manage hypertension in African Americans

Through the publication of its Consensus Statement on the Management of High Blood Pressure in Blacks in this week's issue of Hypertension, ISHIB today released new recommendations recognizing that high blood pressure among African Americans is a severe health problem. The consensus statement suggests that treatment should start sooner and be more aggressive among African Americans.

2 Nov 2010

Evotec, Apeiron Biologics enter collaboration

Evotec AG today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Apeiron Biologics AG, to initially identify small molecule modulators of DREAM (Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonistic Modulator), a novel target involved in perception of various pain mechanisms. Further projects will be evaluated to potentially expand this cooperation in due course.

27 Oct 2010

African-American children have higher risk of hypertension

Persistently high blood pressure, or hypertension, may spell worse heart trouble for black children under the age of 13 than for other children of the same ages, according to research led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and published in the November issue of Pediatrics.

18 Oct 2010

Research findings likely to have significant implications for treatment of pre-eclampsia, hypertension

Scientists have discovered a mechanism which raises blood pressure in pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly condition which occurs during pregnancy.

7 Oct 2010

Benicar better than Cozaar in reducing blood pressure: Study

New study results show that patients treated with Benicar® (olmesartan medoxomil) 40 mg once daily had significantly greater reductions in blood pressure and higher rates of goal attainment than patients receiving Cozaar® (losartan potassium) 100 mg once daily at week 8, according to findings of a new head-to-head study presented today at the late breaker session at the 23rd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) in Vancouver, Canada.

1 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

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

High vitamin D level improves survival rate in heart failure patients: Study

Survival rates in heart failure patients with reduced levels of vitamin D are lower than in patients with normal levels. This is the finding of a major study carried out at University Medical Center, Groningen, Netherlands. Results also suggest that low levels of vitamin D are associated with activation of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS - a pivotal regulatory system in heart failure) and an altered cytokine profile.

2 Sep 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

Renin test can predict appropriate drugs for BP patients: Study

Commonly prescribed drugs used to lower blood pressure can actually have the opposite effect-raising blood pressure in a statistically significant percentage of patients. A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that doctors could avoid this problem-and select drugs most suitable for their patients-by measuring blood levels of the enzyme renin through a blood test that is becoming more widely available. The study appears in the online edition of the American Journal of Hypertension.

20 Aug 2010

Steroid treatment can delay loss of kidney function

For patients with IgA nephropathy, a type of kidney disease, steroid treatment can prevent or delay loss of kidney function, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). IgA nephropathy is an autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys and a major cause of end-stage kidney failure in younger people

16 Jul 2010

Vitae earns $14M milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim

Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an integrated discovery and development company, today announced that it has earned a $14 million clinical milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Vitae's 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD)-1 is targeted for the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome-related diseases in a strategic alliance with Boehringer Ingelheim. The payment recognizes Boehringer Ingelheim's recent advancement of a small molecule inhibitor of 11beta-HSD-1 into Phase I clinical trials.

29 Jun 2010

Relypsa commences enrollment for RLY5016 Phase 2 study in heart failure patients with chronic kidney disease

Relypsa, Inc., today announced the initiation of patient enrollment in a Phase 2, open-label titration clinical study of the company's lead drug candidate, RLY5016, in heart failure patients with chronic kidney disease. RLY5016 is a novel non-absorbed oral potassium binder intended to prevent and treat hyperkalemia, a serious condition characterized by elevated serum potassium levels.

16 Jun 2010

Data from Phase IV study of Bystolic tablets in Hispanic patients with hypertension presented at ASH 2010

Forest Laboratories, Inc. today presented data from a Phase IV study evaluating the effects of Bystolic (nebivolol) tablets in Hispanic patients with hypertension at the 2010 annual scientific meeting of the American Society of Hypertension.

4 May 2010