Hypertension vaccine expected to be available within five years

　　In the near future, some hypertension patients may be able to effectively control their blood pressure simply by receiving a vaccine injection. This therapeutic vaccine is the result of years of research and development by a Swiss pharmaceutical company. Currently, the vaccine is still in small-scale clinical trials, with 48 hypertension patients having completed one injection course. The expected blood pressure-lowering effect can last for about 4 months. It is reported that the vaccine will be marketed within five years, and the related research results have been published in the renowned British medical journal The Lancet.

　　The hypertension vaccine mainly targets the renin-angiotensin system. When injected into the body, the vaccine "infects" the patient, stimulating the immune system to produce angiotensin antibodies, inhibiting angiotensin, thereby lowering blood pressure.

　　Vaccine developers believe that compared to traditional oral antihypertensive drugs, the hypertension vaccine has multiple advantages. First, oral antihypertensive drugs have a short half-life and cannot stably control morning blood pressure, which is the high-risk period for stroke and myocardial infarction; the hypertension vaccine does not have this concern, and trials have confirmed that the vaccine can ensure a significant drop in patients' early morning blood pressure. Second, the vaccine only needs to be injected three times a year, avoiding the hassle of taking medication at fixed times daily, with compliance significantly better than oral drugs. Third, some current oral antihypertensive drugs also work based on the angiotensin principle, but many patients feel the blood pressure-lowering effect is not obvious and stop taking them on their own. Some patients also experience significant adverse reactions. The hypertension vaccine has fewer adverse reactions, only some flu-like symptoms, making it more acceptable to patients.

　　"The hypertension vaccine provides a new perspective for hypertension research. In 2007, a British pharmaceutical company also announced the development of a vaccine based on the angiotensin principle, which entered phase 2 clinical trials," said Professor Ke Yuannan, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, in an interview with Life Times. "However, this type of vaccine also has limitations and cannot solve all problems; it is not suitable for some patients." There are many mechanisms for hypertension onset, and high renin-angiotensin activity is only one mechanism. Vaccines targeting this system may not be very effective for hypertension caused by other mechanisms. Therefore, many patients may not benefit from it.

　　Ke Yuannan pointed out that whether the vaccine developed in the UK or Switzerland, there is still some distance from large-scale clinical trials. It is not yet known when it will be approved for market release, and entering China may be a matter of six to seven years later.