News

I will turn 50 in October, and I have ignored worsening symptoms alerting me to a possible health concern for many years. I finally decided it was time to face what I was avoiding and schedule a doctor-recommended upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy.

As the anesthesiologist was preparing to put me under for the procedures, he asked me, “What do you do for fun?” To his surprise, I blurted out, “I am a Pulmonary Hypertension News columnist and forums moderator.” I think I was as amused as he was that it was my job that came to mind without hesitation. read more

An investigational therapy called R-107 completely stopped the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model and may become the first medicine to reverse the increasing blood pressure characteristic of the disease, a study suggested.

Now, R-107’s developer, Claritas Pharmaceuticals, plans to begin clinical testing in humans.

“The data from this study are unprecedented in the scientific literature, and suggest that R-107 is a potentially revolutionary new treatment for PAH,” Claritas said in a press release that called the results of the rat research “exceptionally positive data.” read more

In people experiencing a pulmonary embolism, higher-than-normal arterial stiffness at the time of hospital discharge increased the risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) when evaluated one month later, according to a study in Italy.

Given that this patient population is at risk of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) — a rare type of pulmonary hypertension caused by blood clots in the lungs — these findings suggest that increased arterial stiffness in these patients may be an early marker of CTEPH. read more

AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, a specialty and home delivery pharmacy, is partnering with TailorMed, a healthcare technology company, to help lower out-of-pocket prescription costs for specialty pharmacy patients.

Medications attained through specialty pharmacies are those used to treat rare and chronic conditions in the U.S., and are often extremely costly.

For this reason, Alliance Rx noted in a press release, it has staff dedicated to helping link eligible rare and chronic disease patients with financial aid programs. Company data reported $600 million in aid given to people using it as a specialty pharmacy in 2019 and 2020. read more

Something about sunshine boosts my mood. Do you find that to be true, too?

For me, warmer months bring to mind fun memories of childhood traditions. When I was growing up, my family had a camp on the water. Family picnics, and beach and boat outings are some of my best lifelong memories.

I’ve always felt a deep calmness when spending time on or near the water. That’s why taking precautions in the heat is essential — it allows me to enjoy summer activities and the outdoors with family and friends. Plus, I get the added benefit of vitamin D. read more

An upcoming series of educational virtual events for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and their caregivers will offer insights and perspectives about how to manage life with PAH.

The National Broadcast Series will include three talks from August to October. Each of the one-hour talks is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on a Saturday. The series is being presented by United Therapeutics and the PAH Initiative (which United sponsors).

The first talk, “Functional Class: One Piece of the PAH Puzzle,” will take place Aug. 14. In this talk, experts will discuss PAH functional class, which is an assessment of how much PAH symptoms affect a person’s day-to-day life. Functional class is an important read more

I have read that the heart is the hardest working muscle. If you’ve ever seen an echocardiogram of a heart laboring against pulmonary hypertension (PH), you’ll agree.

But anyone who doesn’t give the heart credit for being the strongest muscle has never met a grieving mother.

In an email interview, Gillian Murr shares how her son, Corbin Lunceford, continues to power her heart years after his death.

Even a procedure to close a congenital heart defect can’t keep baby Corbin from looking happy. (Courtesy of Gillian Murr) read more

TPN171H, an experimental oral therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), was generally safe and showed a favorable pharmacological profile in healthy volunteers, according to data from a Phase 1 clinical trial.

The therapy — previously reported to be a more potent and selective PDE5 suppressor than sildenafil in preclinical studies — remained longer in the body than sildenafil and tadalafil, and showed no signs of some worrisome adverse events that have been associated with these other approved therapies. read more

A protein known as cell division cycle protein 2 (CDC2) enhances the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells — those lining the walls of lung arteries — in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study reported.

Additionally, the increased level of CDC2 in these cells was found to be dependent on FOXM1 and PLK1, two inducers of cell growth.

Overall, the findings suggest that targeting CDC2 could be therapeutically beneficial for the treatment of PAH, the investigators said. read more

I didn’t truly realize how messy of a person I was until I went to college and spent more than four years living in small spaces with others. Growing up, my room would always become quickly disorganized, but this was typical teenage behavior no different than my older siblings’. Every other week or so, at my mother’s request, I’d do one big cleanup to reset the space, and then the cycle would continue.

These habits, however, seemed to magnify and unravel once I was living in a compact dorm without assistance from my parents and with a full course load. Quickly, laundry and dishes went unwashed and my belongings were all over the place. And I always had loose, used Kleenex floating from my bunk, past the trash, to the floor. (I know. Gross.) I was lucky that my freshman year roommate was already a close friend rather than a stranger I could scare off. read more