News

Potential PAH Treatment, a Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulator, Will Advance in Testing Based on Phase 1a Trial Results

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced positive top-line results from a Phase 1a clinical trial of IW-1701, an investigational soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator that is part of the pharmacologically distinct library of sGC compounds discovered by Ironwood. An enzyme, sGC is crucial to the physiological control of blood flow, inflammation, and fibrosis.

MicroRNAs May Contribute to Pulmonary Hypertension Progression in an Animal Model

A study conducted in an animal model of pulmonary hypertension (PH) which measured levels of microRNAs (miRNA) — small molecules that seem to inhibit the activity and production of other molecules — may provide a new understanding of disease causes. The report, “Reversal of MicroRNA Dysregulation in an Animal Model of…

PAH Drug, Opsumit, Seen to Prevent and Treat Lung Disease in a Mouse Model of Scleroderma

Researchers at University College London (UCL) and Actelion Pharmaceuticals presented a study investigating the therapeutic effect of macitentan (Opsumit) in a mouse model of pulmonary hypertension associated with systemic scleroderma (SSc). The presentation, titled “Macitentan Responsiveness Supports the Validity of a Murine Model of Pulmonary Hypertension in Scleroderma…

Men with SSc-associated PAH Seen to Both Develop and Advance in Disease More Quickly Than Women

In a large study investigating the impact of sex in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH), a team of researchers analyzed a cohort of Canadian patients and found that the male gender is associated with shorter PAH disease duration and increased burden of SSc disease, although it does not independently impact SSc-PAH survival.

Portopulmonary Hypertension Seen as Important Prognosis Parameter in Liver Transplant Candidates

Researchers at the Baskent University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey recently provided an overview of the existing literature regarding portopulmonary hypertension (PoPHT) in patients with advanced liver disease and liver transplant candidates. In these patients, pulmonary hypertension is also defined as PoPHT when pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with…

New PAH Drug, Uptravi, Moves Step Closer to Approval in Europe

Action Pharmaceuticals recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has released a positive opinion on the use of Uptravi (selexipag) for the treatment of patients with a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Uptravi is an oral IP prostacyclin receptor agonist.

In PAH, Tissue Phase Mapping of Left Ventricle May Predict Clinical Outcomes

In a new study, researchers used novel cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) tissue phase mapping (TPM) to determine if right ventricular disease in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients also resulted in abnormal left ventricular functioning, discovering that left ventricular myocardial velocities are significantly abnormal in PH and also constitute independent predictors of clinical…