The health regulatory agency for Australia has approved Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals‘ INOmax (nitric oxide) gas for inhalation as a treatment for adult patients with perioperative pulmonary hypertension (PH) in combination with cardiovascular (heart) surgery. INOmax is a vasodilator inhalation device that works by widening and relaxing blood vessels…
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United Therapeutics announced it has ended its Phase 3 BEAT trial testing esuberaprost as an add-on therapy to its product Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil) for clinically symptomatic patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). According to a company press release, the study failed to reach its main endpoint of delaying the…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to change the ongoing Phase 2b study evaluating INOpulse in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD) into a Phase 2/3 clinical trial, the therapy’s manufacturer, Bellerophon Therapeutics, announced. With this decision the agency also agreed to change the…
Combined therapy with Revatio (sildenafil) and Opsumit (macitentan) was effective in a patient diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with a rare blood disorder called polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome, a case report shows. The…
Increased levels of a protein called LRP1 may lead to blood vessel remodeling in pulmonary hypertension (PH) by causing changes in pulmonary artery cells that favor their proliferation, a study suggests. The study, “LRP1 promotes synthetic phenotype of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in pulmonary hypertension,”…
Systemic hypertension is an independent predictor in rare cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a retrospective large-cohort study in Taiwan shows. According to the findings, most of the observed PAH cases occurred within five years of SLE diagnosis. The study, “Incidence and…
Variations in a gene called FIGN predispose to familial or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (FPAH) in carriers of the p.Arg491Gln mutation at the BMPR2 gene, according to a study looking at the largest family known to date with a history of the disease. The findings may help to advance understanding…
Increased production of a protein called Nestin by cells lining the blood vessels in the lungs may contribute to the development and progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study suggests. Additional studies are still warranted to further understand whether targeting Nestin might represent a viable and effective approach…
Patients with sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension (SAPH) can improve their levels of a key biomarker after receiving specific treatment for PH, which suggests that PH-specific treatment may benefit this patient population, according to a real-world study. The study, “Clinical Features and Outcomes of Patients with Sarcoidosis-associated Pulmonary…
The pharmaceutical company Sandoz announced the commercialization of an injectable form of the vasodilating therapy treprostinil for treating exercise-related symptoms affecting individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This treprostinil injection is the first generic substitute (the non-branded version of a developed therapy) of Remodulin, developed and sold…
Note: This is the first part of a three-part series written in collaboration with respiratory therapist Mark W. Mangus Sr., RRT, RPFT, FAARC, and oxygen expert Ryan Diesem. One of the more hotly debated topics in the treatment of respiratory disease is supplemental oxygen use. Participants in the debate often…
Mutations in the BMPR2 gene alter the ratio of pro- and anti-death signals in cells lining the blood vessels, promoting cells destined to die to escape, which in turn culminates in a build-up of cells in blood vessels and their subsequent blockage, leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The factor mediating this resistance to…
