For the first time in my three decades in medicine, the federal government is no longer to be trusted with respect to medical advice. This creates a confusing mess for patients looking to make good decisions. In an unprecedented situation, medical organizations have come out strongly contradicting the bogus messaging coming from the current federal administration. For … [Read more...]
Sotatercept: ZENITH and HYPERION Trials
Sotatercept, the newest drug approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been on the market Since May of 2024. In the phase 2 PULSAR trial and phase 3 STELLAR trial, sotatercept delivered impressive results, lowering pulmonary artery pressures, improving exercise capacity and leading to improvement in risk status and improved right heart function. Merck … [Read more...]
In Memoriam: Greg Ahearn, MD
The pulmonary hypertension community lost a Giant today. I met Dr. Ahearn in the end of 2003. He was leaving Duke where he had trained and was working as an attending physician on the pulmonary hypertension team. He and I were moving to Phoenix to join a small pulmonary group named Arizona Pulmonary Specialists. We started in the first part of 2004 and toiled together in … [Read more...]
Sotatercept (Winrevair) Approved!
On March 26, 2024 the FDA approved sotatercept (brand name of Winrevair), the first new class of medication approved in over a decade. This medication acts by inhibiting signaling in the Activin pathway. A major problem that contributes to PAH for most patients is impaired signaling in the BMPR pathway. You can think of this signaling process as a group of traffic … [Read more...]
Disappointing News for Rodatristat Ethyl
In July 2023, Enzyvant, now Sumitomo Pharma America, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharma, announced an update on their Phase 2 ELEVATE 2 study of Rodatristat Ethyl for PAH. The Phase 2b study failed to lower pulmonary vascular resistance, as measured by right heart catheterization, at Week 24. Sumitomo undertook a very rigorous evaluation of Rodatristat Ethyl in PAH. This … [Read more...]
