People often forget to pop their blood pressure tablets, so could a long-lasting vaccine work better instead? Cytos Biotechnology in Zurich, Switzerland, has created a drug that it claims can reduce blood pressure for months at a time. It works by fooling the body into making antibodies that mop up angiotensin II, a naturally occurring peptide that raises blood pressure by constricting vessels.
In a trial of 72 people, the drug CYT006-AngQb lowered systolic blood pressure by 25 millimetres of mercury compared with a placebo treatment, and diastolic pressure by 13 mmHg. Typical targets for a healthy adult are around…
