Marta Figueiredo, PhD,  science writer—

Sacubitril-valsartan — a combination oral therapy approved to treat heart failure — rapidly reduces pulmonary blood pressure in people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Notably, these benefits were accompanied by reduced lung…

The blood levels of a signaling molecule called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are significantly reduced in people with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension (PH) and in mice with hypoxia-induced PH, a study shows. Hypoxia refers to low oxygen conditions and chronic hypoxia is a common cause of PH. Also, treatment with…

A receptor protein at the surface of lung vascular progenitor cells regulates the cells’ growth and maturation into smooth muscle cells, contributing to the vascular remodeling that characterizes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study shows. Suppressing this protein — called platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-alpha) — prevents these progenitor…

Maternal and fetal complications are frequent across pulmonary hypertension (PH) groups, with about a third of patients experiencing an uneventful pregnancy, a small single-center study shows. While PH due to left heart disease is often thought to carry a lower risk of pregnancy complications than pulmonary arterial…

Ferrer has acquired exclusive rights to commercialize Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil) for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD) outside North America, Japan, China, and Israel. The therapy, developed by United Therapeutics, is currently approved for that indication only in the U.S.,…

The composition of certain bacteria in the gut is significantly altered and associated with greater disease severity in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a pilot study shows. These findings add to prior research in PAH patients and animal studies linking the disease to an altered gut microbial community,…

Rac1, an enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation, is overly active in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) — the cells that line the walls of pulmonary arteries — of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and a mouse model of pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study shows. Notably,…

Among people selected for kidney transplant, the presence of pre-transplant pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with an increased risk of transplanted kidney dysfunction at five years, according to a single-center study in the U.S. looking at 350 patients. However, this risk did not affect the five-year survival of patients…

Researchers in the U.K. will evaluate whether the levels of NT-proBNP — a heart damage biomarker that serves as a prognostic marker of pulmonary hypertension (PH) — can be accurately measured in a finger-prick blood sample that can be taken by patients at home and sent by mail to…

High blood levels of NT-proBNP — a validated and widely accepted prognostic marker of pulmonary hypertension (PH) — may serve as a biomarker to diagnose PH among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, according to a study in China. However, no significant association was detected between…

Increased lung arterial obstruction is significantly associated with greater airflow obstruction in people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and without a smoking history, a study shows. Notably, airflow obstruction, reflected by a reduced ability to exhale quickly, was lessened with reduced arterial obstruction and improved blood flow following…

Aerami Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing inhaled therapies for severe respiratory diseases — including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — has entered into a merger agreement with FoxWayne Enterprises Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The goal of this merger is to accelerate the development of…