News

New Study Supports Treatment of Childhood PH with PDE-5 Inhibitors

Infants, newborns and children with pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be safely and effectively treated with phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, according to a new study. The review study, “Pulmonary Hypertension Therapy and a Systematic Review of Efficacy and Safety of PDE-5 Inhibitors,” appeared in the journal Pediatrics. PDE-5 inhibitors such…

Age and Poorer Oxygen-Carbon Monoxide Exchange May Lessen Survival in PAH Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Older age and abnormal oxygen-carbon monoxide blood levels may lead to poorer survival in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), compared to patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), a new study reports. The study, “Idiopathic And Systemic Sclerosis Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Comparison Of…

British Venture Apollo Funds Drug Discovery Program for PAH Treatment

Apollo Therapeutics has approved £8.5 million ($10.6 million) to fund four projects, including a small and large molecule discovery program to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Professors Martin Wilkins and Lan Zhao of Imperial College London‘s Department of Medicine will head the PAH program. Both have previously identified a gene called…

Proteasome Inhibitors for Treating Cancer May Also Benefit PAH Patients

The rapid growth of smooth muscle cells in pulmonary arteries causes vasoconstriction and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Now, researchers found that the same drugs that inhibit cancer cell growth may also be effective in treating PAH. The study, “Inhibition of ubiquitin proteasome function prevents monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial…

Low Levels of Bad Cholesterol Associated with Increased Mortality in PAH, Study Suggests

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) – or “bad cholesterol” – which is associated with an increased mortality risk, according to a new study. PAH treatment may increase LDL-C levels. The study, “Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol And Survival In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,”…

Adempas Improves PAH Patients’ Hemodynamic Parameters, Study Shows

The medication Adempas (riociguat) effectively improves several hemodynamic parameters in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to the Phase 3 PATENT-1 clinical trial. Results showed that the drug improved these parameters — which included pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), right atrial pressure (RAP) and cardiac index — not only in PAH…

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment, Tecfidera, Seen to Ease Fibrosis and Inflammation in Early PAH Study

The approved multiple-sclerosis treatment Tecfidera was seen to improve pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inhibit lung fibrosis in mice by targeting multiple signaling pathways in a recent study. The research, “Dimethyl Fumarate ameliorates pulmonary arterial hypertension and lung fibrosis by targeting multiple pathways,” was published in the journal…

Actor Terrence Jenkins Expands Involvement in PH Media Campaign

Terrence Jenkins, second-year celebrity ambassador of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), will appear in a print and digital public service ad campaign throughout 2017 to raise awareness about pulmonary hypertension (PH). Jenkins, better known as “Terrence J,” knows firsthand some of the frustrations of battling a rare disease like…

Training with Whole-body Vibration Device May Benefit PAH Patients, Trial Shows

Training with an oscillatory whole-body vibration (WBV) device may improve the exercise capacity, physical performance and quality of life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to results of a new trial. The findings were published in an article titled “Oscillatory Whole-Body Vibration Improves Exercise Capacity And Physical Performance…