Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

MACC1, a gene that’s been linked to overgrowth of cancer cells, is more active in the lungs of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) than in healthy individuals, a study out of China found, suggesting it could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for the disease. Researchers also observed…

Note: This story was updated April 11, 2024, to remove reference to Acceleron Pharma, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck.  Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk), the under-the-skin injectable treatment recently approved in the U.S. for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), is expected to be available…

A slit lamp exam of the eyes may detect signs that could help doctors predict how well treatment will work in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, a small study suggests. Specific eye signs can also help evaluate PAH progression…

Children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who are started on treprostinil under the skin, or subcutaneously, at a younger age may be more likely to have better outcomes in the five years ahead, a study suggests. Starting before age 6, but not having an early response to treatment or…

Deaths around the world due to pulmonary hypertension (PH) have fallen over the past two decades, according to a new study, but 13 of the 54 countries included in the review actually saw their death rates rise. Worldwide, deaths from PH fell at an average rate of 3.2% each…

The hormone vasopressin may help improve oxygen levels and blood flow in newborns with acute pulmonary hypertension who fail to respond to treatment with inhaled nitric oxide, a study suggests. About two-thirds of newborns treated with vasopressin in the study, however, developed hyponatremia (a low level of sodium in…

A Phase 3 trial of an oral formulation of levosimendan, dubbed TNX-103, in people with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF), has enrolled the first participant. LEVEL (NCT05983250) is recruiting up to 152 adults with PH-HFpEF, ages 18-85,…

Two genes were identified as potential drivers of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a bioinformatics study, offering opportunities to better understand the disease and explore their use as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. The genes, called WDR43 and GNL2, were more active in the lungs of people with PAH than…

The first participant has entered ASCENT, a clinical study into the safety and tolerability of Liquidia’s Yutrepia, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil that is under regulatory review for pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). The open-label study (NCT06129240) seeks to enroll an estimated…

While non-oral treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can help ease symptoms, they can also make for poorer quality of life as they add new day-to-day challenges that go beyond those posed by the disease itself, a study found. The study, “Patients’ perspectives on the challenges associated with…

Delays beyond one year in the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) lead to more hospitalizations, and this translates into higher healthcare costs per patient each month in the U.S., a real-world study found. Indeed, such extra costs per month were estimated at nearly $4,000 per patient after 12…

Babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) started quickly on treatment with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) — which lowers blood pressure by allowing blood vessels to relax and open up — show a better working heart and a lesser need of extra oxygen, a study reports. “Importantly, the…