The trial, led by researchers from Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London, involved 663 people with high blood pressure whose condition wasn't being well managed with their standard treatment. 

Dr Manish Saxena, clinical co-director of the William Harvey Clinical Research Centre at Queen Mary University of London and a hypertension specialist at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: ‘This study demonstrates the efficacy and safety of zilebesiran, when added to commonly used first line blood pressure lowering drugs. The novelty of this treatment is its long duration; giving just one injection every six months could help millions of patients to better manage their condition.'

The next steps involve another Phase 2 study to see if this treatment has potential to be used to treat people with high blood pressure and established cardiovascular disease, or those at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

A global outcomes study to understand the drug's effect on reducing cardiovascular events, strokes and cardiovascular death is planned later this year.

The study was funded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, with Barts Health NHS Trust serving as a lead site for the trial and top European enroller on the study.