Sildenafil (Revatio) was approved in 2005 based on a 12-week study that showed improvements in six minute walk distance. In the initial study, there was not a clear difference between 20mg three times a day and higher doses. In a subsequent study that followed patients for years, the majority of patients increased their dose to 80mg three times daily and had lasting benefit. In … [Read more...]
Opsumit (Macitentan): Getting the Most From Your Medication
FDA Approval of Opsumit This medicine, Opsumit (Macitentan), was approved in 2014 based on a very large long-term study of 742 patients. 250 were randomized to placebo (sugar pill), 250 were randomized to 3mg once daily of Opsumit, and 242 were randomized to 10mg once daily. Patients were then followed and their rates of clinical deterioration were recorded. Exercise … [Read more...]
Common Medications that Pose Increased Risk in Pulmonary Hypertension
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory pain medications (NSAIDS) Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory pain medications (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen (Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), Etodolac, celecoxib (Celebrex) are all effective medications for mild to moderate pain. However, all these medications also put increased stress on your kidneys. In PAH, the kidneys are already under stress from … [Read more...]
Getting The Most From Your PAH Therapy
We would like to introduce a new series on PulmonaryHypertensionRN.com. This series will include periodic articles focusing on a specific therapy and how to benefit maximally and minimize side effects. Letairis (Ambrisentan) Efficacy in Pulmonary Hypertension This medicine was first approved in 2007 based on 2 studies that both showed improvement in exercise capacity and … [Read more...]
Update on Clinical Trials for PAH
The past decade has been a very exciting time to treat patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). New treatments have been approved that have dramatically improved outcomes for PAH patients. Compared to 20 years ago when we had a single medication to treat PAH we now have 13 treatments. Once a disease treated in a small number of university centers, PAH is now … [Read more...]
