Joana Carvalho, PhD,  managing science editor—

The heart transplant program at the University of California San Diego Health has achieved the best one-year patient survival rate in the U.S., with surgeons working at the Cardiovascular Institute performing more than 50 heart transplants each year, data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients…

Treatment with nintedanib lowered lung blood pressure in a rat model of pulmonary arterial hypertension by preventing cells of blood vessel walls from changing identity, and by inhibiting smooth muscle cells from growing excessively, a study has found. The study, “Nintedanib ameliorates experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension via inhibition…

An anti-inflammatory diet with high amounts of protein, fish oil, the amino acid leucine, and oligosaccharides reduced changes in heart and skeletal muscle in a female mice model of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study says. The findings of the study, “Anti-inflammatory nutrition with high protein attenuates…

Acceleron Pharma has reached its patient enrollment goal in the ongoing Phase 2 PULSAR trial, with more than 100 participants. The trial is testing the safety and effectiveness of sotatercept (ACE-011), the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment of people with pulmonary arterial hyptertension (PAH). The…

Exposure to air pollutants may be linked to disease severity and other clinical outcomes in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study shows. The study, “Traffic exposures, air pollution and outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a UK cohort study analysis,” was published in the European Respiratory…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novitium Pharma‘s generic sildenafil for oral suspension at a dose of 10 mg/mL for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This product, which had been designated a competitive generic therapy by the FDA, is the first…

Treatment with Revatio (sildenafil) successfully reduced symptoms of portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN), allowing patients to undergo liver transplant safely, a case report study shows. The case report study, “Sildenafil Monotherapy to Treat Portopulmonary Hypertension Before Liver Transplant,” was published in the journal Transplantation Proceedings. Pulmonary hypertension (PH)…

Promising preclinical findings recently published in a peer-reviewed journal opened the door to the launch of a Phase 2 trial testing the therapeutic potential of apabetalone (RVX-208), Resverlogix‘s proprietary therapy, in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The findings of the study, “Multicenter Preclinical Validation of…

Oral beraprost, in combination with standard therapy, may help decrease pulmonary arterial pressure, and improve heart function and exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study says. The findings of the study, “Effect of beraprost on pulmonary hypertension due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction,” were published in…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Cipla‘s ambrisentan generic tablets of 5 and 10 mg. These tablets are a generic therapeutic equivalent to Gilead‘s Letairis (ambrisentan; marketed by GlaxoSmithKline under the brand name…

The health regulatory agency for Australia has approved Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals‘ INOmax (nitric oxide) gas for inhalation as a treatment for adult patients with perioperative pulmonary hypertension (PH) in combination with cardiovascular (heart) surgery. INOmax is a vasodilator inhalation device that works by widening and relaxing blood vessels…

Combined therapy with Revatio (sildenafil) and Opsumit (macitentan) was effective in a patient diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with a rare blood disorder called polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome, a case report shows. The…