“Edarbi® NRDL Launch Conference” was held in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on March 25 of 2023. More than 280 top domestic experts in the field of cardiovascular disease and management team from Hasten Biopharma attended the event, focusing on the review of the history for hypertension prevention and treatment in China during the past 30 years and discussion on a new chapter of blood pressure lowering and standardization.

Azilsartan Medoxomil Potassium Tablets (Edarbi®), a potent antihypertensive drug of the angiotensin receptor antagonist (ARB) class for the treatment of essential hypertension in adults, was included in 2022 edition of National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), which was officially implemented in March of this year.

Hypertension is a high-risk factor triggering cardiovascular diseases, significantly increasing the incidence of complications such as stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease, and seriously threatening the health of Chinese people. According to the China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2021, the crude prevalence of hypertension in adults over 18 years of age in China from 2012 to 2015 was about 27.9%, with a weighted rate of 23.2%, and the estimated number of adults with hypertension in China was about 245 million. Although the awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension in China have improved significantly over the past 30 years, they are still at a low level compared to developed countries, and there is still a long way to go for hypertension prevention and control.

"The fundamental goal of hypertension treatment is to reduce the total risk of cardiac, cerebral, renal and vascular complications by controlling blood pressure attainment, and blood pressure attainment is the hard truth of hypertension treatment. The 'Healthy China 2030' strategy proposes to bring China's hypertension control rate to more than 50%, but the current hypertension control rate in China is only 16.9%, which is still far from the target, so strengthening the attainment rate of hypertension patients with antihypertensive treatment is a key issue that needs to be emphasized.” Said by Professor Wang Jiguang from the Department of Hypertension at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital.

To effectively stabilize blood pressure, it is important to ensure that patients receive standardized management, including proper lifestyle interventions and active treatment. In this regard, the Revised Edition of Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension 2018 states that patients at high cardiovascular risk should actively initiate antihypertensive medication, while low-risk patients can undergo 1-3 months of lifestyle interventions and initiate antihypertensive medication if their blood pressure still does not reach the standard.

At present, ARB antihypertensive drugs have been unanimously recommended by domestic and international hypertension guidelines as one of the initiate and basic drugs for antihypertensive treatment. The unique molecular structure and pharmacological properties of Azilsartan Medoxomil Potassium Tablets ensure the stability and constant dissolution of the drug, which can help patients reach the target early with a strong and stable antihypertensive effect.

Professor Huo Yong from Peking University First Hospital said: “ China's hypertension prevention and treatment strategy continues to be optimized, patients need a drug that can be more in line with the standard management of hypertension to ensure the maximum antihypertensive effect and medication safety. As a potent antihypertensive drug, the development of ARB class drugs continues to push the boundaries. After several iterations and innovations, Azilsartan Medoxomil Potassium Tablets have achieved excellent antihypertensive efficacy, better control of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and a blood pressure compliance rate of more than 60% at 6 weeks of treatment, which will help patients with hypertension to build confidence in blood pressure management and thus actively accept treatment.”

The number of hypertensive patients in China is large and the number of people with normal high blood pressure is increasing, which brings an increasing economic burden to the residents and society. It is reported that the price reduction of nearly 70% for Azilsartan Medoxomil Potassium Tablets means that more Chinese hypertensive patients can benefit from the treatment of this potent antihypertensive drug and achieve early blood pressure compliance.

“The inclusion of Azilsartan Medoxomil Potassium Tablets in NRDL will not only reduce the burden of patients and their families, but also significantly improve the quality of hypertension management and save medical resources and social costs. We hope that more and newer hypertension drugs will enter the NRDL and become a trust-worthy choice for hypertension patients and clinicians, further promoting the cause of hypertension prevention and treatment in China.” Said by Professor Dong Yugang, scientific leader of Cardiovascular Department from First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

Summer Xia, CEO of Hasten Biopharma said: “We are glad to witness the landing of Edarbi® in the NRDL, and we are very grateful for the efforts made by the national medical insurance department for the benefit of the patients. With the vision of 'providing quality treatment solutions, building a health management ecosystem and becoming a leader in the healthcare industry', Hasten Biopharma always focuses on patient needs and effectively brings innovative drugs and therapies within reach of patients. In the future, Hasten Biopharma will firmly support the development of hypertension prevention and treatment in China, and continue to help Chinese patients to 'reach the standard in a stable manner', thus helping to push the inflection point of cardiovascular events to come as soon as possible and forging a better vision of 'Healthy China 2030'.”