News

Dave Merryman, a researcher at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University, has received $6 million to develop new treatments for pulmonary hypertension and other heart diseases. His research focuses on drugs initially intended to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and knowledge from failures of weight-loss drugs. Merryman, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, is currently developing treatments for heart…

A cohort study with Chinese patients identified systemic sclerosis (SSc) as the key underlying disease that significantly worsens the clinical outcomes of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study “Clinical characteristics and survival of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with three major connective tissue diseases: A cohort study in…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) will present two abstracts with data from the PHA registry, which collects information on pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients diagnosed and evaluated at PHA-accredited centers with the goal of improving their care. The presentations will be given at the American Thoracic Society meeting set for May.

Treprostinil improves exercise performance and lowers blood pressure in sickle-cell disease (SCD) patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study shows. The therapy was also well tolerated by the patients, the researchers said. The findings were reported in the study “Prostacyclin-analog therapy in sickle cell pulmonary hypertension,” published…

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who took an altitude-simulation test were able to tolerate a short-term decrease in oxygen without it impacting the right side of their heart, according to a new study. The research addressed the question of whether patients with PAH can travel safely at high…

Actelion, which manufactures treatments for conditions like pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), will be acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $30 billion. The board of directors of both companies agreed to the transaction, said Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson. “We believe this transaction offers compelling…

Bayer and Merck recently presented positive results from five data sets that evaluated the clinical benefits of Adempas (riociguat) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The findings were presented at the 11th annual World Congress of the Pulmonary Vascular…

An initial combination treatment with Tracleer (bosentan) and Ventavis (iloprost, inhalation solution) dramatically improved exercise capacity and clinical function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), compared to treatment with either of those medications alone. The study, “Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension using initial combination therapy of…

An international study to assess clinical practices in the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) found several differences in CTEPH management among regions, but also a gap between guideline procedures and real-life practice of diagnosis and treatment. The study, “An International Physician Survey of…

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare complication in hepatitis C or multiple sclerosis patients using interferon α or β therapy, but still one that’s substantially more common in these people than in the general population, suggesting a link between the therapy and PAH, researchers reported. Type I interferons, including interferon α and β, are naturally occurring compounds in the body,…

In a Phase 3 clinical trial, Opsumit (macitentan) did not meet the study’s primary goal — improved exercise capacity — in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to Eisenmenger syndrome, Actelion, the drug’s manufacturer, announced. Study results, however, will take time to interpret due to a “persistent placebo effect,”…

In a moderately sized group of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (nsVT) occurred more often than previously reported, researchers said, and patients with PH group 1 seemed to be more at risk. Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia is an abnormally rapid ventricular rhythm, usually greater than 100 beats per…