scholarly journals Addition of Sildenafil in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension with Inadequate Response to Bosentan Monotherapy

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 427-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy R Porhownik ◽  
Hassan Al-Sharif ◽  
Zoheir Bshouty

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a progressive disease despite improvement when using one of three medication classes: prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists or phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Combination therapy has been proposed for patients with unsatisfactory response to monotherapy.OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of adding sildenafil to bosentan on 6 min walk distance (6MWD) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification in patients with PAH who achieved inadequate improvement with bosentan monotherapy.METHODS: Patients with idiopathic PAH or connective tissue disease-associated PAH, and who had either self-reported inadequate improvement in exercise tolerance or a decline in 6MWD after initial improvement, were included in the study (n=10). Data on 6MWD and NYHA class at baseline (before initiation of bosentan), three and six months after baseline, second baseline (before initiation of combination therapy with sildenafil), and three and six months after second baseline were analyzed for any changes.RESULTS: Mean time from initiation of bosentan monotherapy to initiation of combination therapy was 558 days (range 150 to 900 days). Six months after initiation of bosentan, 6MWD increased by 57.2 m above the baseline of 314.4 m. Six months after combination therapy, 6MWD was 62.80 m higher than the baseline before initiation of combination therapy of 339 m (P<0.02). The overall increase in 6MWD six months after combination therapy was higher than the first baseline by 87.4 m (P not significant). NYHA functional class did not improve with combination therapy in all patients.DISCUSSION: Initiating combination therapy in patients who achieve an inadequate improvement in exercise tolerance with mono-therapy may result in further improvement in exercise tolerance.

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1727-1736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Sitbon ◽  
Caroline Sattler ◽  
Laurent Bertoletti ◽  
Laurent Savale ◽  
Vincent Cottin ◽  
...  

Treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been underpinned by single-agent therapy to which concomitant drugs are added sequentially when pre-defined treatment goals are not met.This retrospective analysis of real-world clinical data in 97 patients with newly diagnosed PAH (86% in New York Heart Association functional class III−IV) explored initial dual oral combination treatment with bosentan plus sildenafil (n=61), bosentan plus tadalafil (n=17), ambrisentan plus tadalafil (n=11) or ambrisentan plus sildenafil (n=8).All regimens were associated with significant improvements in functional class, exercise capacity, dyspnoea and haemodynamic indices after 4 months of therapy. Over a median follow-up period of 30 months, 75 (82%) patients were still alive, 53 (71%) of whom received only dual oral combination therapy. Overall survival rates were 97%, 94% and 83% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively, and 96%, 94% and 84%, respectively, for the patients with idiopathic PAH, heritable PAH and anorexigen-induced PAH. Expected survival rates calculated from the French equation for the latter were 86%, 75% and 66% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively.Initial combination of oral PAH-targeted medications may offer clinical benefits, especially in PAH patients with severe haemodynamic impairment.


Kardiologiia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
A. A. Proshkina ◽  
N. A. Tsareva ◽  
G. V. Nekludova ◽  
S. N. Avdeev

The article presents a clinical case of successful triple combination therapy in a female patient with functional class III idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Supplementing the previous macitentan and riociguat treatment with selexipag reduced the severity of clinical manifestations of pulmonary hypertension. Also, the treatment efficacy was demonstrated by improvement of laboratory and instrumental indexes. Time-related changes were evaluated at 3 months after initiation of the selexipag treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1902340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Thoré ◽  
Barbara Girerd ◽  
Xavier Jaïs ◽  
Laurent Savale ◽  
Maria-Rosa Ghigna ◽  
...  

IntroductionTBX4 mutation causes small patella syndrome (SPS) and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The characteristics and outcomes of PAH associated with TBX4 mutations are largely unknown.MethodsWe report the clinical, functional, radiologic, histologic and haemodynamic characteristics and outcomes of heritable PAH patients carrying a TBX4 mutation from the French pulmonary hypertension (PH) network.Results20 patients were identified in 17 families. They were characterised by a median age at diagnosis of 29 years (0–76 years) and a female to male ratio of three. Most of the patients (70%) were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III or IV with a severe haemodynamic impairment (median pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of 13.6 (6.2–41.8) Wood units). Skeletal signs of SPS were present in 80% of cases. Half of the patients had mild restrictive or obstructive limitation and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was decreased in all patients. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed bronchial abnormalities, peri-bronchial cysts, mosaic distribution and mediastinal lymphadenopathies. PAH therapy was associated with significant clinical improvement. At follow-up (median 76 months), two patients had died and two had undergone lung transplantation. One-year, three-year and five-year event-free survival rates were 100%, 94% and 83%, respectively. Histologic examination of explanted lungs revealed alveolar growth abnormalities, major pulmonary vascular remodelling similar to that observed in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and accumulation of cholesterol crystals within the lung parenchyma.ConclusionPAH due to TBX4 mutations may occur with or without skeletal abnormalities across a broad age range from birth to late adulthood. PAH is usually severe and associated with bronchial and parenchymal abnormalities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. James White ◽  
Anton Vonk-Noordegraaf ◽  
Stephan Rosenkranz ◽  
Ronald J. Oudiz ◽  
Vallerie V. McLaughlin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil reduced the risk of clinical failure events for treatment-naïve participants with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as compared to monotherapy. Previous studies in PAH have demonstrated greater treatment benefits in more symptomatic participants. Methods AMBITION was an event-driven, double-blind study in which participants were randomized 2:1:1 to once-daily initial combination therapy with ambrisentan 10 mg plus tadalafil 40 mg, ambrisentan 10 mg plus placebo, or tadalafil 40 mg plus placebo. In this pre-specified subgroup analysis, we compared the efficacy data between those with functional class (FC) II vs. FC III symptoms at baseline. Results This analysis included 500 participants in the previously defined primary analysis set (n = 155 FC II, n = 345 FC III). Comparing combination therapy to pooled monotherapy, the risk of clinical failure events was reduced by 79% (hazard ratio, 0.21 [95% confidence interval: 0.071, 0.63]) for FC II patients and 42% (hazard ratio, 0.58 [95% confidence interval: 0.39, 0.86]) for FC III patients. In a post-hoc analysis, the risk of first hospitalization for worsening PAH was also reduced by combination therapy, particularly for FC II patients (0 combination vs. 11 [14%] pooled monotherapy). Adverse events were frequent but comparable between the subgroups. Conclusions Treatment benefit from initial combination therapy appeared at least as great for FC II as for FC III participants. Hospitalizations for worsening PAH were not observed in FC II participants assigned to combination. The present data support an initial combination strategy for newly diagnosed patients even when symptoms are less severe. Funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline; AMBITION ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01178073.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly L. Tackett ◽  
Gregory V. Stajich

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disorder of the small pulmonary arteries characterized by progressive fibrotic and proliferative changes that result in an increased pulmonary vascular resistance. It is a progressive and debilitating disease that leads to right ventricular dysfunction, impairment in activity tolerance and eventually right-sided heart failure, and premature death. The treatment goals for PAH include improvement in symptoms, improvement in functional class and exercise class, decreased morbidity, and preventing mortality. Combination therapy in the treatment of PAH is an emerging therapeutic option. Combining therapies with differing mechanisms of action will maximize therapeutic benefits such as symptom control and increased rate of survival. The updated 2007 American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines recommend combination therapy in functional classes III and IV if there is no improvement with current therapy or if there is deterioration in class. PAH monotherapy has been shown to improve symptoms, but the patients’ hemodynamic parameters may not be normalized, leading to further pulmonary vascular remodeling. Combination therapy offers an additional option for those patients who are unable to stabilize on monotherapy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Oudiz ◽  
Manyoo Agarwal ◽  
Franz Rischard ◽  
Teresa De Marco

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) often require parenteral prostanoids to improve symptoms and signs of PAH. Complications of parenteral prostanoids—such as catheter-related infections and intolerable adverse effects—may develop, prompting transition to inhaled prostanoids. We report a prospective, protocol-driven transition from parenteral prostanoids to inhaled prostanoids with monitoring of exercise gas exchange and acute hemodynamics. Three PAH centers recruited patients transitioning from parenteral prostanoids to inhaled trepostinil. Rigid inclusion criteria were used, including parenteral prostanoid dose < 30 ng/kg/min, New York Heart Association functional class (FC) < 3, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) < 6 Wood units. Of the 9 patients meeting initial inclusion criteria, 3 were excluded. In the remaining patients, the parenteral prostanoid was reduced and the inhaled prostanoid was increased over 24–36 hours with continuous hemodynamic monitoring. Exercise capacity and FC were measured at baseline and weeks 1, 4, and 12. All patients were successfully weaned from parenteral prostanoids. An acute PVR decrease was seen with most inhaled prostanoid doses, but PVR varied throughout the transition. Patients tolerated inhaled prostanoids for 9–12 breaths 4 times a day with no treatment-limiting adverse events. At week 12, FC was unchanged, and all patients continued to receive inhaled prostanoids without serious adverse events or additional PAH therapy. In 5 of 6 patients, 6-minute walk distance and peak V̇O2 were within 10% of baseline. Using a strict transition protocol and rigid patient selection criteria, the parenteral prostanoid to inhaled prostanoid transition appeared safe and well tolerated and did not result in clinical deterioration over 12 weeks. Hemodynamic variability noted acutely during transition in our study did not adversely affect successful transition. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01268553)


2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1265-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey E Baker ◽  
Rebecca Haynes Hockman

OBJECTIVE To review the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, and clinical trials evaluating inhaled iloprost in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). DATA SOURCES A MEDLINE search (1996–February 2005) was performed using the key words pulmonary hypertension, iloprost, and epoprostenol. Information regarding Food and Drug Administration approval was obtained via the Internet. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION All clinical trials using inhaled iloprost in PAH published in English were identified. Additionally, references from the identified articles were reviewed. DATA SYNTHESIS A stable analog of prostacyclin, inhaled iloprost is thought to promote benefit in PAH through vasodilation, antiproliferative effects, and inhibition of platelet aggregation. In a placebo-controlled trial of 203 patients, inhaled iloprost significantly improved the combined endpoint of change in New York Heart Association functional class and 10% improvement in 6-minute walk distance (p = 0.007). Small, short-term clinical trials demonstrated hemodynamic benefits for inhaled iloprost alone and in combination with other pulmonary vasodilating agents. The aerosolized delivery route and low incidence of adverse events are positive attributes for inhaled iloprost, while the frequency of administration and lack of comparative data limit its role in PAH. CONCLUSIONS Currently, inhaled iloprost offers potential benefit for patients with contraindications to bosentan, preference for non-parenteral products, ineligibility for parenteral therapy, or as adjunctive therapy with other pulmonary vasodilators. Larger, long-term clinical trials are needed to solidify the role for inhaled iloprost in the management of PAH.


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