PHA News Archive - January 9, 2007

Vol 8, Number 1		January 9, 2007
PHA News is an e-mail newsletter from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association covering PH related topics.

PHA News Editor - Sally Maddox skmaddox@bellsouth.net
Contributing Editors - PHA staff
reaching over 6000 subscribers
www.PHAssociation.org

PHA News is meant to give a picture of recent events and activities affecting the life
of the PH community. This compilation should not be viewed as endorsement of the
information provided or its accuracy.

		Topics For This Issue
	HEADLINES --Event Seed Grants Available for Spring --Vanderbilt Wins Circle of Friends Challenge --Carol Jean Posner Fights for a Cure By Naming PHA in Trust --AZ Spur a Cure for PH Car Raffle, Win Car of Your Choice NEWS --Successful Study With Tracleer in Patients With Mildly Symptomatic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension --Gilead Submits New Drug Application To U.S. FDA for Ambrisentan for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension --FDA Sets New Review for Encysive's Drug ANNOUNCEMENTS --Four New Our Journeys Stories Posted --Report from Central Florida Support Group --Medical Professionals: Keep Abreast of PH-Related Medical Events --Raise Awareness and Spruce Up Your Car with a PH Car Ribbon --Haven't Gotten a PHA 2007 Calendar Yet? Purchase Yours Today

Event Seed Grants are Back!

PHA is kicking off the new year with 10 new seed grants available for the upcoming Spring event season. Seed grants are open to anyone interested in organizing a fundraising event, and can be used up to $1,000 each to assist in the planning and implementation process. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but to increase your chances of receiving a seed grant please turn in proposals early. For more information or to receive an application visit PHA's website, or contact PHA's Special Event Coordinator, at 301-565-3004 x125, or event@PHAssociation.org.

Vanderbilt Wins Circle of Friends Challenge

A DRUM ROLL, PLEASE! Congratulations to the Vanderbilt Support Group in Nashville, Tenn. -- Winner of the Circle of Friends Challenge! For the past few months support group leaders have encouraged patients, family members and health care professionals to take on the challenge of raising funds for PHA and awareness about PH by undertaking a Circle of Friends campaign. The grand prize was a complete set of PHA's 7th International PH Conference CDs for the support group that had the highest number of campaigns. We are grateful to all support groups and their members who participated and congratulate the Vanderbilt group, which ran seven campaigns and is now the proud owner of the CDs. Contributions are still arriving and the Challenge is expected to raise well over $20,000 for PHA! Although the Support Group Challenge is over, it's never too late for individuals to undertake a Circle of Friends letter-writing campaign. It's a fun and easy way to share your story with your family and friends while raising money for PHA. For more information, contact giving@PHAssociation.org.

Carol Jean Posner Fights for a Cure By Naming PHA in Trust
	Carol Jean Posner is a retired LAPD Officer and PH patient of more than eight years. She wants to see PH conquered. To that end, she asked her attorney to name PHA as a remainder beneficiary of her living trust to support research to find a cure. This is in addition to a generous gift that she makes each year. Read more

AZ SPUR A CURE FOR PH CAR RAFFLE

Want to support PH research and have a chance to win a car of your choice?! A group of PH patients and their families in Phoenix, Ariz. are organizing the Arizona Spur-A-Cure Car Raffle: a raffle where the winner picks their choice of cars. With a maximum of 5,000 tickets being sold, your chances of winning are greater than in Vegas or the lottery! Tickets are being sold 1 for $50 or 3 for $100. Winner does not need to be present at the drawing, but they are responsible for picking up the vehicle or the cost of shipping. For more information please visit www.CurePH.com.

NEWS

Successful Study With Tracleer in Patients With Mildly Symptomatic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Actelion Ltd announced that initial results from the double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study EARLY (Endothelin Antagonist Trial in mildly Symptomatic PAH patients, NYHA modified functional class II) indicate that six months of treatment with the dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan (Tracleer(r)) showed a significant reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance, a strong trend towards improved exercise capacity and a significant delay in the time to clinical worsening. Read article Gilead Submits New Drug Application To U.S. FDA for Ambrisentan for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of ambrisentan (5 mg and 10 mg) for the once-daily treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The application is supported by data from two Phase III clinical studies (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2) and three Phase II studies in patients with PAH. Read article FDA Sets New Review for Encysive's Drug The FDA set June 15 at the target action date for Thelin, which Encysive hopes to market as an oral treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension -- chronic high blood pressure in the pulomonary artery. Pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to arteries in the lungs. Read article

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Four New Our Journeys Stories Posted Read the 4 new stories shared by PHers and add the story of your PH journey Report from Central Florida Support Group Read the Central Florida Support Group December meeting report and view pictures We'd love to share your support group stories. Send us your stories and reports to Debbie@PHAssociation.org. Medical Professionals: Keep Abreast of PH-Related Medical Events Medical Professionals: As you plan your schedules for 2007, make sure to keep track of events in the PH medical community by checking the PHA medical calendar. Raise Awareness and Spruce Up Your Car with a PH Car Ribbon Looking for an easy way to raise awareness about PH? Feel like your car is looking a little dreary from the winter weather? We've got the answer. Purchase a PH magnetic car ribbon to raise awareness about PH wherever you go! Haven't Gotten a PHA 2007 Calendar Yet? Purchase Yours Today Keep track of important dates this year while learning more about PH and PHA. In addition to the great photos of PHers that illustrate our "community of hope," each month of the PHA 2007 calendar features information on services and programs available from PHA and tips for steps to take when someone is diagnosed. Makes a great gift for your family and friends. Place your order today!

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