New Study Reveals Risks with Tekturna Use

Researchers at Toronto hospital have published the first detailed study linking the usage of Tekturna with high levels of potassium in the blood and low blood pressure.

According to Science Daily, Dr. Ziy Harel and other researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital reviewed 10 randomized clinical trials on the combination of Tekturna (which is sold under the name Rasilez in Canada and the UK) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) drugs.

Their research determined that patients who took Tekturna along with either an ACE inhibitor or ARB drugs had almost a 50 percent greater chance of developing hyperkalemia – high potassium levels in the blood – compared to patients who only took ACE inhibitors or ARB drugs. Additionally, patients taking a combination of Tekturna plus an ACE inhibitor or ARB had a 70 percent greater risk of developing hyperkalemia than those taking Tekturna alone.

The new research received a great deal of attention after the pharmaceutical company Novartis recently terminated an international clinical trial for Rasilez after documenting an increased incidence of non-fatal strokes, renal complications, high potassium levels in the blood, and low blood pressure after 18-24 months.

The sudden stop to the trials led Health Canada to announce in December that it would be reviewing the safety of Rasilez. St. Michael’s research results were fast tracked into publication and will appear in the next issue of the British Medical Journal.

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