Rothman AMK, MacFadyen J, Thuren T, et al. - Given hypertension and inflammation are physiologically inter-related but there is a lack of certainty regarding the influence of therapies that particularly target inflammation on blood pressure, researchers performed a secondary analysis of the recent CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study), which represents a study that provides the chance to examine if IL (interleukin)-1β inhibition would decrease blood pressure, prevent incident hypertension, and alter links between hypertension and cardiovascular events. In CANTOS, overall 10,061 patients having previous myocardial infarction and hsCRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein) ≥ 2 mg/L were randomized to canakinumab 50 mg, 150 mg, 300 mg, or placebo. The rates of incident hypertension, among patients free of baseline hypertension, were estimated to be 23.4, 26.6, and 28.1 per 100-person years for the lowest to highest baseline tertiles of hsCRP. As a result of random assignment to canakinumab, no decrease in blood pressure or incident hypertension during follow-up was noted among all participants. A reduction in major adverse cardiovascular event rates was brought about by IL-1β inhibition with canakinumab. These observations indicate that there is no link between mechanisms underlying this benefit and alterations in blood pressure or incident hypertension.