New and emerging drug treatments for hypertension

BACKGROUND: Existing antihypertensive therapies are effective in lowering blood pressure, however, they are associated with adverse effects that may contribute to medication non-compliance. Furthermore, morbidity and mortality benefits have not been established with commonly used agents such as ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers. OBJECTIVE: Newer antihypertensive therapies offer similar efficacy with fewer adverse effects and may be of benefit in a number of concomitant disease states. DISCUSSION: This article examines the promise of the newer therapies: angiotensin II antagonists, T-type calcium channel blockers, dual metalloprotease inhibitors and endothelin receptor antagonists.