FDA approves angiotensin II (Giapreza) to treat hypotension in adults with septic or other distributive shock
FDA approves drug to treat hypotension in adults with septic or other distributive shock
Reported by Shikha Jain
On 21 December 2017, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted approval of intravenous injection of angiotensin II (Giapreza) to La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company to increase blood pressure in adults with septic for other distributive shock. Shock is a critical condition in which blood pressure drops to extremely low level that the vital organs like brain, kidneys etc can’t maintain blood flow to function properly and thus can result in organ failure and even death. Therefore there is a dire need of treatment options for critically ill hypotensive patients who do not adequately respond to existing therapies.
In this context, Giapreza effectively increases blood pressure when added to conventional treatments of hypotension. However, it can cause dangerous blood clots with serious consequences (e.g. deep venous thrombosis) and therefore it is advised to use prophylactic treatment for blood clots.