Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited has announced that its investigational compound TAK-491 has entered into phase 2 clinical stage in the US and Europe. TAK-491 is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), discovered by Takeda and its mechanism of action is to lower blood pressure by inhibiting action of a vasopressor hormone Angiotensin II.

TAK-491 is expected to show stronger anti-hypertensive action, and also to have superior profile in improving the insulin resistance and decreasing proteinuria, as compared to existing ARBs on the market.

"TAK-491 is one of our candidate products, which is expected to succeed our current mainstay product, Candesartan, an ARB," said Masaomi Miyamoto, Ph.D., GM of Pharmaceutical Development Division of Takeda. "We will vigorously conduct clinical development of TAK-491, so that we can offer an additional treatment option for patients with hypertension and their physicians as early as possible."

In the anti-hypertensive market, the ARB class is now recognized as a mainstream treatment option. TAK-491, if successfully developed and launched, has the potential to become the most effective member of this important class of drugs, and is expected to support the expansion of the US diabetic franchise of Actos (generic name; pioglitazone HCl) into lifestyle-related diseases, and to further enhance the presence in the European cardiovascular market established by Candesartan.