Dr. Cormac Kennedy

This study asks the question "does lowering weight using a drug called semaglutide given by injection reduce high blood pressure (BP) in patients with poorly controlled BP and excess body weight (obesity)". This is important because although we know high BP can lead to serious health problems such as a heart failure, we have not considered BP treatment from the viewpoint of weight reduction with a drug before. The risk of heart disease from high BP is reduced by medicines, but they don't work for everyone and multiple drugs may be needed. This is called resistant hypertension and it is associated with excess weight. By reducing weight we expect a lower BP. This should mean the risk of an unhealthy heart is also lower. To test this idea, suitable people with high BP and weight are invited into the study. If they agree, their weight, height and BP are measured and volunteers are trained to inject the study medicine themselves. To test the medicine, every second person involved will get the active medicine, while the others will continue with their current treatment plan. The medicine is considered safe and may help the person lose weight. Advice about a healthy lifestyle is provided. At the beginning and end of the study, blood tests are taken, BP and weight are measured and participants are asked to answer questionnaires. Weight and BP will be measured every 12 weeks thereafter for 36 weeks. First, a small study will inform how a larger study can be best planned and delivered as part of routine hospital or GP care. We expect the larger study to bring about an important breakthrough in how patients with obesity and hypertension are treated. Ultimately, this will help us to understand whether weight lowering medicines can be used to improve difficult to control blood pressure, health and well-being.