Author Archives: Steve Bryson PhD

Switching from Tracleer (bosentan) to Opsumit (macitentan) improved physical abilities with fewer side effects in some adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study showed. Replacing Tracleer with Opsumit may be a feasible treatment option in PAH patients who did not fully respond to Tracleer alone or…

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has launched the ISHLT Foundation, a new organization that will serve as ISHLT’s charitable arm to fund research grants and awards to improve patient care for advanced heart and lung diseases, including pulmonary hypertension (PH). In PH, high…

Maximum oxygen uptake measured during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) independently predicted long-term survival outcomes in people with pulmonary hypertension caused by left heart disease (PH-LHD), a study reported. Further studies with a larger number of these patients are needed to confirm the findings, the researchers noted. The study, “…

Tyvaso DPI, an investigational dry powder formulation of the vasodilator treprostinil, was equally safe and effective, and more convenient than the approved Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil) nebulizer for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), final results of the BREEZE study show. These findings may facilitate Tyvaso DPI’s use earlier in…

Newly revealed biological mechanisms that underlie the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) support activating BMPR2, the protein mutated in most familial PAH cases, as a treatment strategy, according to a study that investigated human cells and mouse models. A recent case series showed potential for the BMPR2-activator…

Supplemental long-term oxygen therapy is the only effective treatment for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have low blood oxygen, according to a systematic review of studies. Such long-term oxygen treatment “may mildly reduce severity of PH, slow PH progression over time,…

Breathing reserve, a measure of lung function calculated during exercise, predicted survival in adults with congenital heart disease associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study reported for the first time. Breathing reserve assessment in other diseases affecting blood vessels in the lungs also may predict survival outcomes, the…

A passive leg raise is equally as effective as exercise in measuring pulmonary vascular distensibility, a physiological marker to predict outcomes in people with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study suggests. This finding is important for patients who cannot exercise or do not have access to clinical exercise facilities, the…

Gene activity analysis of whole blood collected from people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) identified three patient subgroups associated with distinct clinical features and outcomes, a study concluded. These findings may provide molecular insights into the development of PAH, improve disease risk assessments, and potentially guide individual treatment strategies,…

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals has voluntarily ended the Phase 2b trial testing its investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapy pemziviptadil (PB1046), due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medicine manufacturing, associated supply, and enrollment rates. The company said it would conduct an analysis of the trial’s results and,…

The use of the INOpulse combination drug-device therapy demonstrated a clinically meaningful reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) — a measure of the internal resistance to blood flow within the lung arteries — in people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with sarcoidosis (PH-Sarc). That’s according to top-line data…

An orally available small molecule, BI113823, successfully reversed the progression of severe, advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model, a study demonstrated. The experimental medicine lowered pulmonary blood pressure, reduced blood vessel thickening, suppressed inflammatory responses, and prevented right heart failure and death. These findings support the…