News

November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month and, in recognition, SteadyMed has announced the launch of its new website, BePHenomenal.com, dedicated to educating people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) so as to empower them to live the healthiest and most PHenomenal lives possible. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association notes…

Researchers suggest that a protein called ED-A+ Fn (ED-A domain containing fibronectin) could serve as a marker for pulmonary hypertension (PH), aiding in diagnosis and allowing better monitoring of treatment responses. The study, “Lung tissue remodelling in MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension: a proposal for a novel scoring system and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designed Reviva Pharmaceuticals’ RP5063 an Orphan Drug as a potential treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), providing the company with developmental and testing assistance. “We are pleased to receive Orphan Drug Designation for RP5063, which emphasizes the significant need for new mediations for patients…

Medications that specifically trigger cell death in remodeled blood vessels, without damaging the heart or healthy blood vessels, may be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), researchers suggest. Their study, “Apoptosis-based therapy to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension,” published in the Journal of Rare Diseases Research & Treatment,…

Physical exercise can modulate the immune response that activates inflammation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve their cardiopulmonary function and quality of life, a study published in the BMC Pulmonary Medicine reported. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive vascular disease characterized by increased blood pressure in the lung vasculature,…

ProMetic Life Sciences recently presented positive preclinical data on its fibrosis-targeting lead candidate, PBI-4050, showing that the drug effectively reduces pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. The company also presented positive effects of PBI-4050 on cardiovascular biomarkers in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The data…

The hardships felt by caregivers of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are “multidimensional” — emotional, physical and economic — and those burdens should be recognized and caregivers’ own physical and psychological needs accounted for, as their work is increasingly necessary to societies in which patients are living longer, a recent review study argues. In the review, “…

The Fetal Health Foundation (FHF) awarded this year’s Brianna Marie Memorial Research Grant to Dr. Jan Deprest, a specialist in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a life-threatening condition in infants caused by a birth defect in which the diaphragm does not form completely, creating a hole in the muscle between the chest and…

Researchers found a new mutation in a gene — called eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 4 (EIF2AK4)  — in members of a family with hereditary pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH). This mutation represents a potential “second hit” that increases the likelihood of certain family members developing the disease. The study, “…

Treating stored red blood cells with nitric oxide before a transfusion lessens the risk that a patient will develop pulmonary hypertension — a finding that may work to end, or at least substantially lower, a dangerous side effect of blood transfusions. The study, “Exposure of Stored Packed Erythrocytes…

Actelion announced that a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its pulmonary hypertension treatment, macitentan, in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has met its primary endpoint. At week 16, treatment resulted in a significant reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) compared to placebo. MERIT is a 24-week, randomized and…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is calling on people affected by pulmonary hypertension (PH) to attend the free PHA on the Road: PH Patients and Families Education Forum it is helping to sponsor on Nov. 1, at the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina in Tampa, Florida. Carolyn Sheehy…