Zilebesiran: The First siRNA Drug Therapy for Hypertension

Abstract

Blood pressure, which includes ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease, is the leading preventable cause of death from cardiovascular illnesses on a global scale. Worldwide, arterial hypertension ranks first among cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and has done so for a long time. One of the first drugs to target hypertension using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology is zilebesiran. Zilebesiran, an RNA interference therapy drug now in development, binds strongly to the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor. A therapeutic target for hypertension, it aims to decrease angiotensinogen production by measuring hepatic angiotensinogen messenger RNA (mRNA) quantities. Zilebesiran is a novel, ground-breaking siRNA therapy for the treatment of hypertension that is now in the second stage of clinical studies. How much of it crosses the placenta and whether it might be utilized to treat preeclampsia should be addressed in future research.