Compounds that increase the amount of blood flowing through heart vessels can benefit people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic left heart disease who have decreased blood-pumping ability, according to an analysis of several studies. The compounds are phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors such as Revatio (sildenafil). They prevent an enzyme called…
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Stem cells known as mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) may contribute to the blood vessel anomalies causing pulmonary hypertension (PH), says a new study, “Disruption of lineage specification in adult pulmonary mesenchymal progenitor cells promotes microvascular dysfunction,” that appeared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Vascular anomalies in the lung are…
Collecting tissue samples from vessels damaged by pulmonary hypertension (PH) can help scientists learn about molecular mechanisms that cause the disease, as well as which may help in its treatment, according to a new study. The study, “Assessment of microRNA and gene dysregulaton in pulmonary hypertension by…
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) could signal that a lupus patient is at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) and related conditions, according to a study. Researchers called for additional studies that would lead to doctors using the antibodies’ presence in blood to screen such patients and develop early treatment strategies for…
The INOpulse portable oxygen provider widened blood vessels, lowered blood pressure and increased exercise capacity in pulmonary hypertension patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (PH-IPF), according to a study. Bellerophon Therapeutics, which developed the device, reported the results at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Washington. It also discussed plans for…
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association has accredited three more regional clinics that have demonstrated an ability to deliver high-quality care to pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients. The three are the French Hospital Medical Center’s Central Coast Pulmonary Hypertension Center in San Luis Obispo, California; Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s Pulmonary…
Two pulmonary arterial hypertension experts will speak to investment professionals at a gathering in New York this week that Arena Pharmaceuticals is holding. Arena will also discuss ralinepag (APD811), a treatment it is developing for PAH, at the event on May 25. The experts are Dr. Lewis Rubin, an emeritus professor…
Tracleer, which improves pulmonary arterial hypertension patients’ exercise capability, may decrease the effectives of two other PAH treatments, Revatio and Adcirca, according to a study. One of the problems with treatment combinations is that some of the therapies can affect the others’ ability to do their work. This appears to be…
The prevalence of pregnant women with heart disease rose by 24 percent over a 10-year period, according to a study, “National Trends and In-Hospital Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Heart Disease in the United States,” that appeared in the American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers at New York’s Stony Brook…
Bellerophon Therapeutics recently offered an update on the company’s INOpulse system, as part of its first quarter 2017 financial report. The system is in clinical testing as a therapy for three types of pulmonary hypertension. The Phase 3 INOpulse program for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been modified to speed up its clinical development.
Patient enrollment is complete in a Phase 2 clinical trial of ubenimex as an add-on to standard therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to ubenimex’s developer, Eiger BioPharmaceuticals. Sixty-one patients at 45 sites in the United States and Canada have been enrolled in the LIBERTY trial (NCT02664558). The randomized, double-blind,…
Reata Pharmaceuticals is enrolling participants for two ongoing clinical trials of bardoxolone methyl as a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by an underlying interstitial lung disease. Bardoxolone methyl belongs to a class of small molecules that target an important transcription factor called Nrf2.
