MONDAY, May 27, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- The first of a new class of drugs reduces blood pressure better than another well-known class of drugs and also seems to reverse some of the blood vessel stiffness linked to aging, says new research.
The drug omapatrilat is one of a new class known as vasopeptidase inhibitors. In a 12-week study, omapatrilat had a significant effect on the stiffness of the aorta, the biggest artery in the human body, say the researchers whose study will be published in tomorrow's issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
The study included 167 people with moderate high blood pressure. Some received omapatrilat and others were given a type of drug known as an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.
The researchers used pulse pressure -- the difference between the upper and lower numbers in a blood pressure reading -- to compare the two drugs. Elevated pulse pressure is an indication of stiffening of the body's large central blood vessels.
The first measurement was blood pressure in the arm. Omapatrilat reduced peripheral pulse pressures by twice the amount of those using the ACE inhibitor.
The researchers also measured blood pressure in the large aorta. In this instance, omapatrilat reduced pulse pressure by more than three times the amount of reduction for those on the ACE inhibitor.
The study was funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which makes omapatrilat.
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