Vessel rescue

Blood pressure drug might offer new treatment for Marfan syndrome

The drug losartan may prevent lethal damage to the aorta in people with a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome, a preliminary study shows. The findings have already paved the way for a large-scale trial of the drug for this condition.

“If this observational information is backed up and confirmed by the randomized clinical trial … it would be a tremendous breakthrough in the management of Marfan’s syndrome,” says Alan Braverman, a cardiologist at the WashingtonUniversity in St.