News

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals has secured $15.6 million in funds to develop its pipeline for orphan drugs led by PB1046, which is designed to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), heart failure, cardiomyopathy and cystic fibrosis. Silicon Valley Bank is loaning PhaseBio $7.5 million, to be allocated in increments subject to certain…

Patients with mutations in the EIF2AK4 gene have worse outcomes than others with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), researchers report, suggesting that genetic tests be given these people — often diagnosed with PAH — to determine if they actually have pulmonary vena-occlusive disease (PVOD) or pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) and can be treated…

A retrospective study showed that pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-specific drug therapies do not raise the risk of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The Chinese study, “Incidence and risk of respiratory tract infection associated with specific drug therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a systematic review” appeared in the journal…

Beginning in January 2018, people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and their caregivers can apply for stipends to attend next year’s Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida. Both U.S. and foreign patients — adults and children alike — are eligible for the scholarships, which…

Nearly one in every two people with advanced lung cancer also have pulmonary arterial hypertension, a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine reports. The study, “Lung cancer–associated pulmonary hypertension: role of microenvironmental inflammation based on tumor cell-immune cell crosstalk,” showed that lung cancer progression leads…

A retrospective study found that patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) have more pronounced decreases in mental health than those with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The German study, “Anxiety, Depression, and Health-Related QOL in Patients Diagnosed with PAH or CTEPH,” appeared in the journal Lung. PAH and…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) says it’s “disappointed and dismayed” after the House of Representatives voted 227-205 last week to repeal the Orphan Drug Tax Credit as part of a U.S. tax reform package. A similar package before the Senate Finance Committee does not repeal the credit…

Patients with elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, but not high enough to be diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH), have a poorer prognosis compared to those with lower pulmonary arterial pressure. According to the findings of the study, “Prognostic Effect and Longitudinal Hemodynamic Assessment of Borderline Pulmonary Hypertension,”…

Preclinical work supports the potential of  sotatercept to be a first-in-class disease-modifying therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and to moving the investigational therapy into a Phase 2 trial in patients, Acceleron Pharma announced. Sotatercept is a  trap molecule for members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily. A growing body of evidence…

Vivus announced that it is in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to possibly test tacrolimus — an oral medication used to prevent organ rejection after a transplant — as a potential treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In a scheduled pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) application meeting, the…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada has launched its Life in Purple Challenge campaign to mark November, Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month. PH is a rare, progressive and life-threatening disease caused by an increase of blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries and veins, which become narrowed and blocked. Common PH symptoms…

Development work on INOpulse as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension is advancing in all three patient groups, Bellerophon Therapeutics announced when sharing its third quarter financial results. Bellerophon is developing INOpulse — inhaled nitric oxide delivered with the help of a portable device — for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension…