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...]
Sotatercept Coming Soon
A new drug is poised to enter the PAH market and offers great promise for patients. This new drug works in a completely different way from all the currently approved medications. Sotatercept is an injection (shot) that is given subcutaneously (under the skin) every 3 weeks. The medication acts by blocking activin. In PAH there are good signals and bad signals within the blood … [Read more...]
Why Abortion Matters to PAH Patients
Across America a woman’s right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is under threat. Without diving into politics or religion I want to impress on the PAH community why this may spell disaster for our PAH patients. The Supreme Court is on the verge of reversing half a century of legal precedent that has protected a woman’s right to choose. At the same time, several states have … [Read more...]
