Tekturna

Tekturna is a drug used to treat high blood pressure. It is the first medication of its kind and is part of a class of drugs called renin inhibitors. This medication works by preventing the renin enzyme from converting other enzymes into a substance that narrows blood vessels. Tekturna comes in tablet form and is taken once a day. Possible side effects include rash, diarrhea, and coughing.

What Is Tekturna?

Tekturna® (aliskiren hemifumarate) is a prescription medication approved to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It can be used alone or in combination with other high blood pressure medications. Tekturna is the first medication of its kind.
 
(Click Tekturna Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Tekturna?

It is made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
 

How Does It Work?

Tekturna is classified as a renin inhibitor.
 It is the first medication of its kind. Renin is an enzyme produced in the kidneys that acts throughout the body. It works to convert angiotensinogen to angiotensin I. A different enzyme (angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE) then converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II, a powerful substance that increases blood pressure by narrowing blood vessels and indirectly stimulating the kidneys to retain salt.
 
Various blood pressure medications work during different steps in this process (such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, known as ARBs). However, Tekturna is different; it acts at the beginning of the process, preventing renin from converting angiotensinogen to angiotensin I (the first step in the process).
 
Tekturna Article Continues on Next Page >
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD
 
Other Articles in This eMedTV Presentation
Referring Pages Articles Health Topics Drugs & Supplements