Author Archives: Charles Moore

U.S. specialty biopharmas SteadyMed and United Therapeutics both issued media releases recently commenting on a ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that declared invalid a United Therapeutics patent related to the drug treprostinil, a synthetic analogue of prostacyclin. Prostacyclin and its analogues are widely used in…

Paris-based biotechnology company Mifcare is getting support from the French pulmonary hypertension patients’ association HTaPFrance for the development of new anti-inflammatory therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Melanie Gallant-Dewavrin, director of HTaPFrance, said promoting research to fight PAH is one of her association’s goals, “which is why I do not hesitate to…

SteadyMed Therapeutics, a California-based specialty pharmaceutical company that develops drug products for treating orphan and high-value diseases with unmet non-oral delivery needs, has hired Carl Hicks, Jr. to take on the newly created role of Vice President of PH Patient Advocacy and Community Relations. Hicks is a 20-year…

November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month and, in recognition, SteadyMed has announced the launch of its new website, BePHenomenal.com, dedicated to educating people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) so as to empower them to live the healthiest and most PHenomenal lives possible. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association notes…

Serena Lawrence, a young Canadian living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), has launched an online petition to raise public consciousness of, and draw government attention to, PH in Canada. Upon receiving her diagnosis of Stage 3-4 PH in 2013 at age 25, just three months after first showing her…

Erica Huntzinger, today a pulmonary hypertension (PH) activist and advocate, remembers her mother, Susan, beginning to experience PH symptoms in her mid-30s, but going improperly undiagnosed for more than a quarter century. During this period, Susan suffered two respiratory failures, a heart attack, and as many as five emergency room visits a year…

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced in a press release the pricing of its initial public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its Class A common stock at $11.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. The Irving, Texas-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company says it intends to use net proceeds from the offering…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada will join more than 80 other organizations worldwide to mark World Pulmonary Hypertension Day, an international event that raising awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Celebrated on May 5 every year since 2012, World PH Day focuses on the importance of improving life…

On May 5, more than 80 organizations around the world will participate in activities designed to raise awareness of this often-misdiagnosed disease and to celebrate the lives of people living with what is called pulmonary hypertension (PH), or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — a condition of high blood pressure in…

Haifa, Israel-based Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. announced that it has received a notice from United Therapeutics Corporation ending its licensing agreement for development of the cell-based candidate PLX-PAD for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Under the agreement’s terms, Pluristem will recover full rights to PLX-PAD and retain all…

Residents of the Canadian province of Ontario affected by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) gathered at the Queen’s Park provincial legislature in Toronto this week in hope of convincing Ontario’s Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins to make the drug Opsumit (macitentan) publicly accessible as a treatment option for Ontario…

A new survey sponsored by Bayer has revealed that many physicians report a lack of familiarity with a condition called chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The 2015 Bayer PH Physician Survey was released on November 24 to help draw attention to CTEPH and the need for stepped-up education efforts to improve…