Potential block buster on the horizon - new vaccine to control high blood pressure

A vaccine that would help people control their blood pressure is showing promise in early trials.

The vaccine, developed by drug maker Cytos Biotechnology could free people from taking daily medication.

The vaccine targets a hormone in the body called angiotensin II that constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure; the hormone is already an indirect target of several existing blood pressure drugs.

According to the scientists a small trial has shown that participants given the vaccine were able to better manage their blood pressure.

In the trial, 65 men and 7 women with high blood pressure were injected with either a lower or higher dose of the vaccine or with a placebo; their average age was 51.

They received injections at the start of the study, at the 4-week point and then at the 12-week point.

Study author Dr. Juerg Nussberger, a professor of medicine says the hope is that after a few doses, lifelong efficacy would be sustained removing some of the compliance issues related to taking medications on a daily basis.

Nussberger says the vaccine produced no serious side effects, although some people experienced headaches.

Those who got the vaccine mounted a strong antibody response against the hormone and Nussberger says the goal is to make a vaccine to be given every four months.

The researchers from the University Hospital of the Canton of Vaud in Lausanne, Switzerland say the trials were conservative and only a small dose was used.

They say the results established not only safety and tolerability but also efficacy with blood pressure; the vaccine reduced blood pressure in people with mild to moderate hypertension.

About a billion adults worldwide have elevated blood pressure and the problem is worst in the United States and eastern Europe, affecting nearly a third of adults.

It is sometimes called the "silent killer" because it typically produces no symptoms, can lead to serious health problems including stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.

Nussberger expects it to take five to 10 years before the vaccine could be ready for wide usage.