Higher levels of a protein involved in certain immune responses, called soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2), are associated with more severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) and heart dysfunction, a study found. This protein’s potential use as a prognostic biomarker for PH, however, seems to be limited. The study, “The Prognostic Value of…

Analysis of a North American pediatric registry revealed significant variability of pulmonary hypertension (PH) subtypes among children of different racial and ethnic groups, with reduced survival rates among black children with lung disease-associated PH, a new study reports. The study, “Racial…

The heart transplant program at the University of California San Diego Health has achieved the best one-year patient survival rate in the U.S., with surgeons working at the Cardiovascular Institute performing more than 50 heart transplants each year, data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients…

Analysis of gas exhaled in differing positions, like sitting or laying flat, could be a noninvasive and simple alternative to right heart catheterization in evaluating and managing people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a study suggests. The study, “Usefulness of ventilatory gas analysis for the non-invasive…

The vasodilator Adempas (riociguat) increases the ability of endothelial progenitor cells to halt vascular remodeling and enhance formation of new blood vessels in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), according to a new in vitro (in the lab) study. This may be particularly helpful for CTEPH patients…

The heart rhythm of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) has limited ability to adjust to changes, compared to unaffected people used as controls in a new pilot study. The findings also revealed that assessing heart rhythm complexity (HRC) parameters may improve the ability to predict PH. The research, “…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Accelerated Bayer (PHAB) Awards, recently launched by Bayer US, will grant up to $1 million dollars for clinical research into pulmonary hypertension (PH). Spread over two years, the program, which is one of the largest industry-funded grant programs, will focus primarily on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)…

Spouses of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) report feeling insecure about their situation and dissatisfied with the degree of information and support provided by healthcare teams, according to…

Transition from phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) — such as United Therapeutics’ Adcirca (taladafil) and Pfizer‘s Revatio (sildenafil) — to Bayer‘s Adempas (riociguat), a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, without a washout period is a viable option for some patients with pulmonary hypertension, a small study suggests. The…

Patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have higher serum levels of antibodies against the EDX2 and PHAX proteins, according to research which suggests that these autoantibodies could be used as diagnostic tools for both diseases. The study, “Elevated levels…

Actelion Pharmaceuticals has received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifying that the company needs to conduct further studies and obtain more data in order to accurately assess the use of Opsumit (macitentan) in the treatment of patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The…

Long-term treatment with Adempas (riociguat) can reduce right heart size and improve the heart’s pumping function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), results from a retrospective study suggest. The study, “Right ventricular size and function under riociguat…