AstraZeneca's Baxdrostat Meets Goal in Resistant Hypertension Study

AstraZeneca AZN announced positive top-line data from the phase III Bax24 study evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of its investigational candidate, baxdrostat, in patients with resistant hypertension.

Patients with treatment-resistant hypertension (rHTN) were administered with baxdrostat (2mg) or placebo on top of standard of care in the study.

Data from the Bax24 study showed that treatment with baxdrostat led to a statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful reduction in ambulatory 24-hour average systolic blood pressure ("SBP") versus placebo at 12 weeks. Efficacy was observed over the full 24-hour period, including early morning, when hypertension patients face a higher risk of cardiovascular events.

Treatment with baxdrostat was generally well tolerated and the safety profile was similar to that seen in the BaxHTN study.

AstraZeneca plans to share these data with global regulatory authorities in the upcoming days.

AZN’s Price Performance

Year to date, shares of AstraZeneca have rallied 31.1% compared with the industry’s rise of 8.1%.

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AZN’s Ongoing Development With Baxdrostat

In July, AstraZeneca reported positive top-line data from the phase III BaxHTN study, which evaluated baxdrostat in patients with uncontrolled or treatment resistant hypertension.

Data from the same showed that both the 1 mg and 2 mg doses of baxdrostat led to statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in mean seated SBP versus placebo at 12 weeks, meeting the study’s primary endpoint.

The BaxHTN study of baxdrostat also met all key secondary endpoints.

Per management, the latest data from the Bax24 study, along with data from the BaxHTN study, have the potential to change the treatment approach for many patients whose hypertension remains uncontrolled with current therapies.

Per the company, hypertension affects 1.5 billion people globally. In the United States, about half of patients on multiple therapies still have uncontrolled blood pressure, with growing evidence linking this to aldosterone dysregulation. Baxdrostat is designed to lower blood pressure by selectively inhibiting aldosterone, a key hormone that elevates blood pressure and increases the risk of heart and kidney complications.

Besides hypertension, baxdrostat is also being investigated as a monotherapy for primary aldosteronism. Baxdrostat in combination with dapagliflozin is also being evaluated for treating chronic kidney disease and hypertension and the prevention of heart failure in patients with hypertension.

AZN’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

AstraZeneca currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Akero Therapeutics AKRO, Allogene Therapeutics ALLO and Chemomab Therapeutics CMMB, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Akero Therapeutics’ 2025 loss per share have narrowed from $3.89 to $3.74. Loss per share estimates for 2026 have narrowed from $4.31 to $4.12 during the same period. AKRO stock has surged 65.3% year to date.

Akero Therapeutics’ earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters while missing the same on the remaining occasion, the average surprise being 49.24%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Allogene Therapeutics’ 2025 loss per share have narrowed from $1.02 to 96 cents. Loss per share estimates for 2026 have narrowed from 95 cents to 84 cents during the same period. ALLO stock has lost 36.7% year to date.

Allogene Therapeutics’ earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while meeting the same on the remaining occasion, with an average surprise of 14.03%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Chemomab Therapeutics’ 2025 loss per share have narrowed from $2.40 to 60 cents. Loss per share estimates for 2026 have narrowed from $2.80 to $1.00 during the same period. CMMB stock has plunged 51.9% year to date.

Chemomab Therapeutics’ earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while meeting the same on the remaining occasion, with an average surprise of 26.25%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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