Patrícia Silva, PhD,  director of science content—

The nutritional supplement N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may have immunomodulatory and cardioprotective properties, which can potentially benefit pulmonary hypertension patients, according to the recent study “N-acetylcysteine improves established monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats,” conducted by Dr. Marie-Camille Chaumais, at the University of Paris-Sud, College of Pharmacy, France. As the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is hosting the 2014 International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions, in what is expected to be the largest gathering of the pulmonary hypertension community in the world. Leaders of PH associations from around the globe will join patients, caregivers, families, nurses, and other…

For those with PAH, treating inflammation associated with the disease could be the next step in improving quality of life and reducing the mortality rate. Reata Pharmaceuticals has enrolled the first patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerance, and efficacy of…

Team PHenomenal Hope is one of the cycling teams that is set compete in a high-endurance cycling event called Race Across America (RAAM). However, their goal is not winning, but raising awareness for pulmonary hypertension (PH), a rare and debilitating lung disease that can be deadly. The race begins June,…

Bayer HealthCare recently announced it will test the efficacy and safety of the drug Riociguat in patients with symptomatic pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP). The study will take place at more than 50 sites in 11 countries and will include about 120 patients. Designed…

Last Tuesday, May 13, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, together with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, held a one-of-a-kind forum composed of FDA drug reviewers and patients diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PAH is a condition wherein the lungs’ vasculature constricts and raises blood pressure, eventually…

According to recent data, there is a direct correlation between pulmonary emboli that result in the onset of pulmonary hypertension (PH) — an under recognized condition that researchers and medical practitioners alike hope to address in the PH patient population. Pulmonary embolism is the clinical condition marked by a…

Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of German-owned corporation, Bayer AG, has just announced that it has registered its therapeutic drug Riociguat for regulatory clearance in Japan. The drug has gone through intensive clinical research and development under Bayer, and is eyeing becoming the next novel treatment of two types of…

Bayer Healthcare recently announced the approval of its novel drug Adempas (riociguat), which has been listed by the Régie de l’assurance malady du Québec (RAMQ), the Québec public formulary, as the one and only treatment option for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Québec is the first province to provide Adempas…

There is a basic difference between pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adults and in children. In the former case, there are a wide range of causes that contribute to development of PAH, including thromoembolism, vascular obstruction, pulmonary insufficiency, alveolar hypoventilation, chronic lung disease, and other associated comorbidities (e.g.: systemic,…

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a frequently encountered complication of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). PAH is also the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among SSc patients. Despite some progress in new detection methods, standard right heart catheterization still remains the most effective means of diagnosis of PAH with Systemic…

A group of researchers led by Dr. Sophie Grigoriadis, MD, PhD, head of the women’s mood and anxiety clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Canada, and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, performed a total of 7 meta-analyses based on available data resources, determining…