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England’s National Health Service (NHS) has added three treatments to the options it offers patients with rare diseases, one of which is for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The additions will help up to 145 people annually. NHS England will cover the cost of doctors performing them. NHS approved 19 treatments in…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Meticulous observation and aggressive treatment, together with long-term hospital stay and a multidisciplinary approach resulted in a successful pregnancy and delivery in a woman with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as reported by a case study published in the journal Tanaffos.

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,”…

A patient treated with chemotherapy and radiation after breast cancer surgery developed pulmonary hypertension and other heart complications, according to a case study. Researchers called for doctors to watch for patients at high risk of heart damage due to cancer therapy, and recommended echocardiography for the detection of such cases. The…

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…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing the safety of Uptravi (selexipag) after the deaths of five patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who took the medicine in France. The European Union approved Uptravi for the treatment of PAH in May 2016. The EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) will re-examine all…

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…

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…