Quebec is First Canadian Province to Publicly Fund Novel Oral PAH Treatment

Quebec residents living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) now have access to a breakthrough, publicly funded drug called Opsumit (macitentan), a once-a-day oral formulation of a dual endothelia receptor antagonist (ERA). On October 1, the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) recommended that the Régie de l’assurance maladie…

Pulmonary Hypertension Can Complicate Treatment in the ICU

When admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), chances are high that the patient has an existing condition in addition to the affliction causing their admittance to the ICU. It is vital that these existing conditions be considered by clinicians when developing a course of treatment, as many times…

Antidepressant Use Linked To IPAH in New Study

A recent study, entitled “The use of antidepressants and the risk of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension,” which is set to be published in The Canadian Journal of Cardiology by Dr. Benjamin D. Fox, of the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Jewish General Hospital, and collaborators, addresses the…

IPAH Patients’ Survival Rates Higher When Treated With Targeted Therapies

A new study entitled “Improved survival of Korean patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after the introduction of targeted therapies” published in August issue of the Heart & Lung journal reports targeted therapies for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) significantly improve IPAH patients’ survival. IPAH is a serious condition characterized by increased blood pressure in pulmonary arteries, frequently culminating in heart failure. Despite several approved treatments, IPAH currently has no cure, and treatments tend to treat symptoms of the disease rather than the underlying cause. Previously, IPAH conventional treatments included oxygen supplementation to fight the lack of oxygen due to pulmonary vaso constriction, anticoagulants to prevent vascular thrombosis associated with IPAH, as well as digoxin and diuretics. However, data concerning survival rates among IPAH patients who are prescribed these treatments are lacking in…

PHA-Accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers Now Open

The Maryland-based Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), the most prominent organization in the country committed to the prevention, research, education, and advocacy of pulmonary hypertension (PH), has just announced that it has accredited the first 6 Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC) in the US, as part of its…


A Conversation With Rare Disease Advocates