What Is Aliskiren Used For? (Cont.)

How Does Aliskiren Work?

Aliskiren 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 converts 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, aliskiren is different; it acts at the beginning of the process, preventing renin from converting angiotensinogen to angiotensin I (the first step in the process).
 

Is Aliskiren Used in Children?

Aliskiren is not approved for use in children. Other medications that have been around longer may be better choices for treating high blood pressure in children.
 

Is Aliskiren Used for Off-Label Reasons?

On occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend aliskiren for something other than high blood pressure. However, there are not yet any universally accepted off-label uses for the drug.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;