News

A new virtual tool, called VEST, is aiding clinicians in remotely diagnosing people with Group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH) per the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, a new study reports. VEST, short for virtual echocardiography screening tool, uses images from routine echocardiography exams of a person’s heart to…

Moderna has entered a collaboration agreement with Chiesi Farmaceutici to develop new messenger RNA-based therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are the molecules that cells use as a template to make proteins; specifically, mRNAs carry the genetic code from DNA to the protein-making…

The combination of Opsumit (macitentan) and Adcirca (tadalafil) is a safe and effective initial treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), new clinical trial data show. The findings were published in the European Respiratory Journal, in the study, “Initial combination therapy of macitentan and tadalafil…

Delayed diagnosis, limited resources, and a lack of awareness compound barriers to care for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in low- and middle-income countries, a recent review found. The finding highlights the need for better patient advocacy across all levels of care, more affordable diagnostic tools, and improved awareness,…

People with intermediate-risk pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who failed to respond adequately to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) show significant benefits when transitioned to Adempas (riociguat) treatment, a Phase 4 trial has found. A total of 41% of patients who made that transition experienced significant clinical improvements, compared with…

Note: This story was updated Sept. 28, 2020, to clarify that Uptravi was being tested as part of an initial triple combination strategy with Opsumit and tadalafil for newly diagnosed patients. An initial triple combination strategy of the oral therapies Uptravi (selexipag), Opsumit (macitentan),…

Using sildenafil and milrinone together proved more effective than either therapy alone in treating newborns with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH), a recent clinical study indicates. This combo treatment may be used in resource-constrained settings that lack inhaled nitric oxide or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as…

Adults with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) experience more breathing stoppages during sleep (apnea), lower blood oxygen, and higher levels of pro-inflammatory proteins in the blood than people with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension who…

Same But Different, a U.K. nonprofit that uses the arts to bring communities together, is holding a calendar photography competition to raise awareness for rare diseases. Under the theme “A Glimmer of Hope,” the competition is a means to “visually express the hope that exists for people affected by…

Despite current targeted therapies, premature babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia or BPD — a disease in which the lungs become irritated and fail to develop properly, causing breathing difficulties — associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) continue to have high mortality rates, a study found. Nevertheless, infants who live past…

Liquidia Technologies has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, indicating that a patent application for LIQ861, the company’s investigational dry powder formulation of treprostinil, should be approved. The patent is expected to cover methods of treating patients with…

Robot-assisted pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) — a minimally invasive surgical procedure that destroys some of the nerves innervating the pulmonary artery to reduce blood pressure — can lower heart strain and improve exercise capacity in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). That finding was reported in…