When young patients develop juvenile systemic sclerosis (JSSc), it is vital to monitor them for changes in cardiopulmonary parameters that may lead to conditions such as pulmonary hypertension. However, there are no current guidelines that describe which cardiopulmonary parameters are most vital to monitor in order to screen for diseases…

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a recent study where company’s scientists demonstrated that Thymosin beta 4 (TB4) can reduce or even prevent heart failure in a pulmonary hypertension mouse model. The study, entitled “Thymosin Beta 4 protects mice from monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy,” was published…

It is widely accepted that hypertrophic mesenchymal stem cells contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in individuals with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Now, as a result of a study presented at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology Meeting, scientists have reason to believe that endothelial cells can increase the pool…

Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in the pharmaceuticals industry, recently received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal  Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the use of nintedanib (suggested brand name OFEV®) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Nintedanib is now on…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association has just launched a Transplant E-mail Group, designed to support and educate those who are waiting for or interested in applying for a potentially life-saving lung transplant. There is still no known cure for pulmonary hypertension, which is a…

The University of California San Diego Health System, a leader in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) research and patient care, has just received a generous grant to fund the recent launch of the country’s first CTEPH registry. The $7.6 million grant comes from pharmaceutical giant Bayer HealthCare in time for the November Pulmonary…

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is uniformly defined as high pressure in the pulmonary vasculature but can be divided into three groups: active, passive, and reactive. According to the Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care of Chinese University of Hong Kong, passive PH is due to high…

Critical care company Ikaria, Inc. and biopharmaceutical company Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited (Lee’s Pharm) have just signed signed a new agreement to drive the registration and commercial approval of INOMAX® (nitric oxide), a breakthrough inhaled treatment of hypoxic respiratory failure (HRF), in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The drug will be offered as a Total Care…

Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute (VHVI) is offering a novel and specialized surgical approach for treating patients suffering from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) that can cause breathing difficulties, acute pulmonary embolism, or blood clots in the lung. Even though the condition…

Bayer HealthCare recently launched a contest with the goal of raising awareness about pulmonary hypertension (PH) and gathering support for PH patients and their families. Of particular focus in this contest is a type of PH called CTEPH, or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Breathless Moments…

Combining two drug therapies, statins and imatinib, may be more beneficial for pulmonary hypertension management than using either alone. The laboratory of Daria Orszulak-Michalak in Poland investigated co-administration of rosuvastatin or simvastatin with imatinib in rats with experimentally-induced pulmonary hypertension and found a benefit in reducing disease severity. Both…

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and in light of World Prematurity Day celebrated yesterday, November 17, Nationwide Children’s Hospital shared with the pulmonary hypertension community the benefits of administering Sildenafil to premature newborn babies with pulmonary hypertension. Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor more popularly…