Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Ten members of the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community were honored by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) for their dedication and service. The Outstanding Member Awards ceremony took place Aug. 17 at the PHA 2024 International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions in Indianapolis. The awards honor people who’ve shown exceptional dedication…

Health Canada has approved Merck’s Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk) for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The approval specifically covers the use of Winrevair in combination with standard therapies to treat patients with World Health Organization (WHO) functional classification 2 or 3. The decision follows approvals in the U.S., as…

Tenax Therapeutics has raised about $100 million in private funding to help accelerate the clinical development of oral levosimendan (TNX-103), a potential therapy for pulmonary hypertension(PH) due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF). The funding will help complete the ongoing placebo-controlled Phase 3 LEVEL…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given orphan drug designation to ZM001, a first-in-class investigational antibody from Zymedi for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ZM001 is intended to reduce inflammation and tissue fibrosis (or scarring) in people with PAH. A Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05967299) began dosing…

Patients with an intermediate to high risk of mortality in the first year following a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) diagnosis have poorer health-related quality of life than those at lower risk, according to a study in England. Those costs were reduced following diagnosis, mainly due to less spending…

High blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, may help identify pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients at higher risk of clinical worsening, a large U.S. study suggests. Resistin levels also could separate people with idiopathic, or unknown cause, PAH (iPAH) or…

A natural substance isolated from a houseplant shows promise as a potential treatment to prevent and reverse pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study found. Treatment with FR900359 (FR) reversed the disease in a mouse model of PH, and relaxed pulmonary arteries of mice, pigs, and humans. FR activity was equivalent…

Reviva Pharmaceuticals has been granted a patent in Europe that covers using brilaroxazine, formerly RP5063, for pulmonary hypertension (PH). The patent covers patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and those who develop PH associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disorder, or sickle…

Anumana‘s artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm shows promise for the early detection of pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study suggested. The PH Early Detection Algorithm, which analyzes data collected from a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) heart test, was developed by scientists at Anumana, Janssen Research and Development, the Mayo Clinic,…

A new study identifies the presence of bacteria from the genus Eubacterium fissicatena, known for their pro-inflammatory properties, as a risk factor for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). While the findings suggest “specific intestinal bacteria” are biomarkers for pulmonary PAH, and show “compelling evidence” that connects gut imbalance, or dysbiosis,…

The physical activity component of the PAH-SYMPACT — a patient-reported measure of quality of life tailored for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — is an independent predictor of the risk of death among PAH patients, according to a new study from Australia. One unit increase in this parameter…

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) — a type of blood thinner medication — are as safe and effective as vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), the standard blood thinner used to treat chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), according to a meta-analysis of published studies. The findings support the use of DOACs as a…