UAE Becomes First Country to Approve AstraZeneca’s Breakthrough Drug for Uncontrolled Hypertension

The newly approved treatment, developed by AstraZeneca, is exclusively for patients whose blood pressure remains high despite taking existing medications.

What Makes Baxfendy Different?

Unlike regular blood pressure medicines that mainly manage symptoms, Baxfendy focuses on the body’s aldosterone production pathway, which is one of the underlying causes of resistant hypertension. Aldosterone is a hormone closely associated with high blood pressure. The medicine works by blocking an enzyme that produces aldosterone.

The treatment will be available in 1mg and 2mg doses. Doctors will prescribe it as an add-on therapy alongside existing antihypertensive medicines.

As per the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), health professionals approved the treatment upon receiving positive results from the Phase III BaxHTN and Bax24 clinical trials. These trials represented statistically significant reductions in blood pressure among patients who previously struggled to control the condition using standard therapies.

Why Does This Development Matter in the UAE?

Hypertension remains one of the most widespread chronic health conditions. Reports suggest that nearly one in three adults in the UAE suffers from high blood pressure, even when there is an availability of multiple treatment options.

Medical professionals have described the approval as a “breakthrough” moment for patients with difficult-to-control hypertension.

The Director General of the Emirates Drug Establishment, Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, said that this treatment shows the UAE’s strategy to fast-track advancement in the medical field and strengthens the UAE's healthcare system.

Meanwhile, Sameh El Fangary, President (Gulf country), AstraZeneca, called the approval a major achievement in scientific development, supporting the therapy and expanding treatment choices for hypertension patients across the UAE.

UAE Strengthens Position as Healthcare Innovation Hub

The world-first approval also represents the UAE’s contribution to accelerating its healthcare treatments. Over the past few years, the country has increasingly positioned itself as an early adopter of advanced therapies across chronic illness management.

Healthcare experts believe the approval marks a major step toward faster adoption of next-generation cardiovascular treatments globally, especially as resistant hypertension continues to rise worldwide.