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Approval of a new treatment for high blood pressure has been gained in the US by Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG.
The backing from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will lead to wider use of Tekturna, the follow-up to the company’s top-selling drug, Diovan.
Tekamlo tablets are a single-pill treatment combining Tekturna with the commonly-used calcium channel blocker amlodipine.
According to Novartis, Tekamlo can significantly reduce blood pressure compared to amlodipine or Tekturna alone.
Tekturna is one of several new types of drug which work by blocking the hormone renin directly. The renin-angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure, is also targeted by other hypertension drugs.
Copyright Press Association 2010
US Food and Drug Administration
