Sitaxsentan Improves Quality Of Life In Pulmonary Hypertension

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Main Category: Hypertension
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 26 May 2006 - 11:00 PDT

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Researchers have documented an improved quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who are treated with the investigational agent sitaxsentan.

Sitaxsentan is an oral, once-daily selective endothelin A receptor antagonist that is 6,500 times more selective for endothelin A than endothelin B receptors.

The new findings, based on a series of adult patients with either idiopathic PAH or PAH associated with collagen vascular diseases, were reported at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2006 International Conference.

R. Souza, MD, and associates at the University of Sao Paolo in Sao Paolo, Brazil, assessed 23 subjects at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment with sitaxsentan 100 mg po qd.

"There has been limited information in the literature about quality of life in PAH patients," Dr. Souza pointed out.

"Sixtaxsentan has demonstrated a favorable impact on functional capacity and hemodynamics in PAH patients," he said. "While currently approved PAH therapies may improve patients' pulmonary hemodynamics and exercise capacity, they may or may not have a positive impact on functional status and quality of life."

The six-minute walk test (6MWT) and quality of life questionnaire (Short Form-36) were obtained at baseline and at week 16.

Results showed a significant increase in functional capacity evaluated by 6MWT (472 vs 490 m, p=0.03) and also in the physical domain component of the quality of life questionnaire (QOLQ), p<0.01.

Domains related to the mental component tended to improve but the improvement was not statistically significant.

Despite the small sample size, the clinical characteristics of trial participants were similar to those previously reported in the literature, Dr. Souza said.

Sitaxsentan treatment was safe and well tolerated, and no serious drug-related adverse events or significant abnormalities in liver function tests were reported.

Overall, the results demonstrate that sitaxsentan improves quality of life in PAH patients primarily through the domains related to functional capacity.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive disorder of the pulmonary vasculature characterized by progressive pulmonary vascular remodeling, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, sustained elevations of pulmonary arterial pressure, and progressive dyspnea, leading to profound functional limitations, right ventricular failure, and ultimately death. The condition affects roughly 100,000 people worldwide.

By Jill Stein
Jill Stein is a Paris-based freelance medical writer
Jillstein03@cs.com
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