José Lopes, PhD, managing science editor —

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) impacts multiple aspects of patients’ and caregivers’ lifes, a new survey from China shows. The study, “The impact and financial burden of pulmonary arterial hypertension on patients and caregivers: results from a national survey,” was published in the journal Medicine. PAH is…

More than 2,000 letters urge Canadian health authorities to make all pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapies available through public funding so that new life-extending medications are accessible to all who need them. The letters were signed by PAH patients, their caregivers, family members, and friends and will be delivered to…

Pfizer’s Phase 4 clinical trial (NCT00323297) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) shows no clinical benefits of adding Revatio (sildenafil) to a stable Tracleer (bosentan) regimen. The study, “Sildenafil dosed concomitantly with bosentan for adult pulmonary arterial hypertension in a randomized controlled trial,” appeared in the…

Bayer’s Adempas (riociguat) can improve the lung and heart functioning of pulmonary hypertension patients who fail to respond to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i), a Phase 3 clinical trial suggests. The RESPITE trial also showed that Adempas can improve biomarkers of pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. Researchers published the study in the European…

Uptravi (selexipag) slows the progression of connective tissue disease associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension, regardless of the type of connective tissue disease, according to a Phase 3 clinical trial in Germany. The therapy also increases the time it takes for the disease, known as CTD-PAH, to worsen and for patients who…

Early renal denervation (RDN) treatment improved pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model, a new study from China showed. The study titled, “Effects of renal denervation on monocrotaline induced pulmonary remodeling,” was published in the journal Oncotarget. Despite the progress achieved with oral therapies over the last two decades, the prognosis…

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients have given high marks to a new implanted,  programmable intravenous (IV) system that delivered Remodulin (treprostinil) to them with few complications, according to a clinical trial. The study, “Treprostinil Administered to Treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Using a Fully Implantable Programmable Intravascular Delivery System…

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) may be mitigated by pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, which prevents the need for lung transplant, a new case report shows. The study, “Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy for Pulmonary Hypertension Before Considering Transplant,” appeared in The Ochsner Journal. CTEPH is observed in approximately 4% of cases…

A variation in the gene sequence of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is associated with a susceptibility to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), new research from China shows. SOD2 is an antioxidant enzyme that transforms the superoxide radical into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The study, “Role for Functional SOD2 Polymorphism in Pulmonary Arterial…

People newly diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in Portugal have survival rates similar to those in other developed countries — and much better than the life expectancy of PAH patients some 30 years ago, a new study found. Moreover, those patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) — whose outcomes are generally poor —…