Headline News
2009
11/09/09 Bosentan Improves Cardiovascular Parameters in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With COPD: Presented at CHEST 2009
(Doctor's Guide) – In patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and PH, bosentan plus best conventional care produced greater improvement in cardiovascular parameters than best conventional care alone.
11/04/09 PH Awareness Month - Watch a Video Interview With Dr. James Tarver
(my FOX Orlando) – It’s called Pulmonary Hypertension, and there are many people in Central Florida that suffer from it.
FOX 35 Good Day talked to Dr. James Tarver from Florida Hospital. Watch our video interview!
11/2/09 Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline Reveals Phase IV Combination Study Of PH Drugs
(RTTNews) – Gilead Sciences Inc. in association with GlaxoSmithKline announced plans for a Phase-IV clinical trial to evaluate first-line combination use of ambrisentan and tadalafil, in patients with PAH, as compared to monotherapy.
10/30/09 Patients Fight back at Ontario's Move to Stop Paying for Multidrug Therapies for PAH
(The Globe and Mail) – Bonnie Cameron and Cindy Waters-Goodman do not know each other, but they have much in common. Both are feisty, small-town Ontarians who were young, busy mothers when hit with diagnoses of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
10/26/09 UC San Diego Researchers Reverse Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Mouse Models
(EurekAlert) – Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key protein that promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans and mice. This groundbreaking discovery has implications for future drug therapies that may extend the life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and prevent the need for lung transplantation, currently the only cure for this debilitating disease.
10/20/09 Cancer Drug May Help Scleroderma
(HealthDay News) – A new study suggests that the cancer drug Gleevec may benefit people with scleroderma, a chronic connective tissue disease.
10/19/09 Healing Effects of Carbon Monoxide Being Studied in an Amazing Variety of Diseases and Conditions
(SmartPlanet) – For years, researchers have quietly been studying the healing effects of carbon monoxide. Inhalation of CO at doses between 10 and 1000 ppm protected animals against restenosis after arterial balloon injury, pulmonary hypertension and more.
10/18/09 First Drug For Scleroderma Treatment Maybe on Horizon
(EmaxHealth) – Until now, no drug has been found to be effective for treating scleroderma. Results of a new study to be presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Philadelphia on October 18 may change that.
10/13/09 Pulmonary Care Limits Too Restrictive
(Nashua Telegraph) – Mike Bederka, editor for the Advance for Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine magazine, writes that after years of hard work and passionate lobbying efforts, pulmonary rehab, performed either in a hospital or physician’s office, will come on-line as a Medicare benefit on January 1, 2010.
Much to the chagrin of the rehab community, it will not resemble anything expected.
10/12/09 Dying UK Soldier Made Film on PH to Help Others
(The Sentinel - UK) – Matthew Millington, from Biddulph, married girlfriend Siobhan after being diagnosed with PH and took part in a film highlighting pulmonary hypertension.
10/8/09 Mum-of-Two With PH is the Lone Scottish Finalist in the "Blue Lips of 2010" Competition
(Dunfermline Press) – The mum-of-two is the lone Scottish finalist in the "Blue Lips of 2010" competition, organised by Pulmonary Hypertension Assocation UK (PHA-UK), and hopes hers will be selected to front the campaign.
10/03/09 UW to Lead an Effort to Identify Gene Variations That Influence the Severity of Lung Diseases Including PH
(7thSpace Interactive) – The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) announced Oct. 1 that the University of Washington (UW) will receive two of the six "Grand Opportunity" NHLBI Large-Scale DNA Sequencing Project awards. The multi-institutional genomics project will examine the genetic connections to heart, lung, and blood diseases that account for three of the leading causes of death in the United States.
9/28/09 PHA UK - Battle Commences As To Who'll Become The Blue Lips Of 2010
(Realwire) – A shortlist of 30 ‘puckerers' from across the globe will now do battle via an online vote from today up until the 9th of October to determine who will become ‘the blue lips of 2010'.
9/22/09 Tracleer Receives Label Extension in Canada for the Treatment of Patients With Mildly Symptomatic WHO Functional Class II PAH
(Marketwire) – Actelion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. announced today that Tracleer® (bosentan), a dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved in Canada for the treatment of patients with mildly symptomatic WHO Functional Class II (FC II) pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
9/21/09 Sildenafil Research Shows Benefits To Children With PAH
(Ukmedix) – Sildenafil has been shown to improve the peak oxygen consumption in children suffering from Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. The research which was submitted at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Vienna, Austria is a big step forward in the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and gives more information on exactly how and why Sildenafil is effective in treating patients with this condition.
9/14/09 Long-Term Tadalafil Therapy Is Effective in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Presented at ERS
(Doctor's Guide) – Results of the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Response to Tadalafil (PHIRST)-1 and 2 study were presented by Ronald J. Oudiz, MD, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, at the 19th Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS).
9/10/09 International Conference on Endothelin
(EurekaAlert)
– As the scientific and medical communities involved in endothelin move towards 25 years of understanding the protein, which future developments hold potential? At what risk? Do medicinal compounds look promising? Donald Kohan, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Utah Sciences Center and a leading global expert on endothelins is addressing these and other issues at the 11th International Conference on Endothelin being held September 9-12, 2009 in Montreal, CN.
9/1/09 Actelion Launches Increased Strength Formulation of Ventavis (Iloprost) for PAH in the United States
(Reuters)
– Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., today announced the first commercial sales of a new 20 microgram per milliliter (mcg/mL) formulation of Ventavis(R), for the treatment of New York Heart Association Class III and IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
8/31/09 New European Guidelines on Pulmonary Hypertension Provide New 6-Group Clinical Definition
(EurekaAlert)
– New 2009 Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension are made public today. The Guidelines have been jointly produced by a Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS); the Task Force also included experts from the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).
8/26/09 Pharmac’s Funding of Tracleer Will Bring Relief to PAH Patients in New Zealand
(New Zealand Doctor Online)
– Tracleer (bosentan), a leading treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, is now funded by PHARMAC. This will give New Zealanders suffering from this incurable disease a chance to improve both the quality and length of their lives and provide physicians with much needed options to improve treatment outcomes.
8/19/09 Health Advice From Roger Blumenthal, MD: Can Stem Cell Therapy Treat Pulmonary Hypertension?
(U.S.News & World Report)
– Expert Roger Blumenthal's advice on whether stem cells are a credible treatment for pulmonary hypertension.
8/17/09 Cellular Crosstalk Linked to Lung Disease, Including PH
(EurekAlert!) – Crosstalk between cells lining the lung (epithelial cells) and airway smooth muscle cells is important in lung development. However, it has also been shown to contribute to several lung diseases, including asthma and pulmonary hypertension.
8/12/09 FDA Expands Access to Investigational Drugs
(FDA) – On August 12, 2009, FDA announced changes to the rules to make them broader and clearer for the patient and the treating physician, while still preserving the integrity of clinical trials designed to find out whether a drug has a desired effect on some disease or condition.
8/12/09 The Inspiring Story of Haley, 14, With PH Secondary to Scleroderma
(SingingSuccessOnline) – Haley Pilkington is a remarkable singer for reasons far beyond her 14 years and the dynamic voice that so effortlessly uplifts anyone who hears her sing.
8/10/09 Actelion's Tracleer Gets US Approval For Wider Use
(Reuters) – Europe's biggest biotech company Actelion Ltd said on Monday its Tracleer drug had been granted approval for mildly symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
8/10/09 Ventavis (Iloprost) Receives US Approval for Increased 20 mcg/ml Strength Formulation for Treatment of PAH
(Actelion) – Actelion Ltd announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new 20 microgram per milliliter (mcg/ml) formulation of Ventavis® as a therapy for New York Heart Association Class III and IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This new increased 20 mcg/ml strength formulation will deliver the same dose in half the volume which is expected to reduce inhalation time and further support patient compliance.
8/03/09 Drug Heals Lung Damage in Ex-Smokers
(Los Angeles Times) – Iloprost, a drug routinely used to treat pulmonary hypertension – high blood pressure in the lungs – can heal the lungs of ex-smokers, but provides no benefit to those who continue to smoke, Colorado researchers reported today at a San Francisco meeting of the International Assn. for the Study of Lung Cancer.
7/30/09 FDA Approves Tyvaso, Which is Inhaled Treprostinil, for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
(PR Newswire) – United Therapeutics Corporation announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tyvaso, which is inhaled treprostinil, for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) using the TYVASO Inhalation System.
7/20/09 Viagra Saving Children with PH
(9&10News) -
Now, even newborns can be put on Viagra. The little blue pill known to help erectile dysfunction is now helping treat pulmonary hypertension.
7/20/09 FDA Looks Into Xolair Side Effects
(PharmacyNews) - The US Food and Drug Administration is looking into findings of a study which suggested that Xolair (omalizumab) had caused an increased number cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events.
7/20/09 PH Patient Defies Odds, Celebrates 18th Birthday
(WalesOnline - UK) - Parents Jackie and Paul Fears had their hearts broken when doctors told them their two-year-old son would probably not live past eight. But now the family are celebrating after Greg defied expectations to reach his 18th birthday.
7/17/09 Actelion To Start Late Stage Trial With PGI2 By End-2009
(Nasdaq – Switzerland) – Actelion Ltd. said it plans to start late-stage trials for its compound PGI2, a potential treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, by the end of the year after the compound proved safe and effective in a phase II trial.
7/16/09 PH Patient to Wed Next Month
(StamfordMercury – UK) – A woman battling pulmonary hypertension will not be letting it stop her from tying the knot next month to her long-term partner.
7/14/09 Path-breaking Heart Surgery at Chettinad Health City
(ExpressHealthcare - India) Chettinad Health City (CHC), a state-of-art multi-specialty hospital at Kelammbakkam on the IT Corridor Chennai, has now to its credit a rare surgery — Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE).
7/14/09 British Girl Thriving After Donor Heart Removed
(HeartWire - UK) - A 16-year old British girl is living a full and active life three and a half years after the removal of a donor heart that was transplanted heterotopically, or in "piggyback" fashion, on top of her own failing heart when she was a toddler.
7/13/09 Hopkins Study Finds Double-Lung Transplant Better Than Single-Lung
(Examiner)
- Lung transplant recipients who received two lungs are twice as likely to be alive ten years later than those who receive only one, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have reported.
7/09/09 Boy Climbs 14 Peaks In Colorado To Help Friend
(CBS4Denver) - Eleven-year-old Matt Moniz climbed 14 of Colorado’s highest peaks in eight days for his best friend, Ian Hess, who suffers from PH. So far, Moniz has raised $16,000.
7/03/09
(This Is Exeter - UK) - Russell Dean is preparing to run across a three-quarter-mile-wide field of six-foot high stinging nettles in his shorts and vest for a cause that is dear to him. That is the PHA-UK, which supports those with the deadly heart condition that claimed his father, Peter, 68, two years ago.
6/30/09
(Politics - UK) -
Julian Brazier, MP for Canterbury, has lent his support to the British Lung Foundation and the PHA-UK's campaign to end the restrictions and charges that airlines place on people with a lung condition.
6/30/09
(The Press - UK) -
Doctors told them to expect the worst, but the parents of a baby boy with a rare heart condition are now preparing to celebrate his first birthday – thanks to Viagra.
6/30/09
(Evening Telegraph - UK) -
Terminally-ill mother Jacqui Boldy is living on borrowed time after being diagnosed with a fatal lung disease, but she is leading a national drive to raise awareness about the condition.
6/24/09 Pulmonary Hypertension: More To Be Done
(PubMedCentral) – After recognition of lack of PH awareness among local physicians and caregivers, and the very poor outcome of this devastating disease that affects many patients in Saudi Arabia, five Saudi physicians constituted the nucleus of the Saudi Advisory Group for Pulmonary Hypertension (SAPH) in 2004. By 2009, the number of SAPH members increased to more than 65, mostly physicians.
6/22/09 Expedition to Mount Everest Offers New Insights into Chronic Disease
(Enhanced Online News) - Results of the HIGHCARE2008 Project were announced during the recent 19th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), Milan, Italy.
6/18/09 Pulmonary Hypertension in Hemodialysis Patients Increases Death Risk
(Renal and Urology News) - Pulmonary hypertension independently predicts greater mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients, Israeli researchers report.
6/16/09 New Source of Information on Pulmonary Hypertension Medications
(NeedyMeds and PHA) – PHA recently collaborated with NeedyMeds, a non-profit that connects patients who cannot afford their treatment to various prescription assistance programs and resources, to create a PH-specific resource page.
6/10/09 Tri-Citian Gets Lung Transplant
(The News Tribune) – Karla Cox, 55, spent six years being sick and three years on a waiting list before getting the pair of lungs that will allow her to once again do simple things like walk around the block, go to the grocery store or play with her seven grandchildren.
6/9/09 Study Results Present Efficacy and Safety Findings From the PHIRST-1 Study of Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Taking Tadalafil Tablets Once Daily
(PR Newswire) – United Therapeutics Corporation and Eli Lilly and Company today announced the results of a pivotal 16-week study showing that a once-daily dose of tadalafil was generally well tolerated, improved exercise capacity and improved time to clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
6/8/09 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Response to Tadalafil (PHIRST)
(Cardiosource) – The results of the PHIRST trial indicate that in patients with PAH, 40 mg daily of tadalafil is associated with a significant improvement in 6-minute walk distance, hemodynamic parameters including mean PA pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, as well as a reduction in patients who clinically worsen, compared with placebo.
6/8/09 Companies, Groups Help With Drug Costs
(Los Angeles Times) – Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Wal-Mart and the Patient Advocate Foundation have programs that offer prescriptions free or at a reduced price.
Pfizer has launched a program specifically for the newly unemployed and, as a result, the newly uninsured. Beginning July 1, the maker of medications such as the pain reliever Celebrex and the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra will launch an assistance program for people who have lost, or will lose, their jobs and job-related health insurance in 2009 and who were already taking an eligible Pfizer drug at least three months before becoming unemployed and enrolling in the program.
6/8/09 MPs Back Campaign Against Charging Air Passengers For Oxygen
(Healthcare Republic – UK) – A campaign to stop airlines penalising passengers with breathing difficulties backed by two charities is being supported by 165 MPs from across the political spectrum.
6/8/09 New Pathway Found Underlying Pulmonary Hypertension
(ScienceDaily) – Pulmonary hypertension is an unremitting disease caused by a progressive increase in blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lung; it leads to heart failure and ultimately death. Currently there are limited treatment options. However, You-Yang Zhao and colleagues, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, have identified in mice a new molecular pathway underlying pulmonary hypertension that they hope might provide novel therapeutic targets.
6/7/09 Research Presented at EHA Congress Shows That Soliris® Significantly Reduced Hemolysis in Never-Transfused Patients With PNH
(Product Design & Development) – Clinical investigators observed that Soliris(R) (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., reduced hemolysis (red blood cell destruction) and improved symptoms in nine patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who had received no blood transfusions prior to initiating Soliris therapy. — Abstract 1110: "Eculizumab Reduces Pulmonary Hypertension Through Inhibition of Haemolysis-Associated Nitric Oxide Consumption in Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria," Dr. Anita Hill.
6/6/09 Sid Grants Local Teen’s Wish
(Wheeling News Register) – Taylor is such a fan of "Sid the Kid" that she's always dreamed of meeting him - and Make-A-Wish made it happen for her. Taylor was born with pulmonary hypertension, which is high blood pressure in the lungs.
6/4/09 You're Hired!
(Hayling Island Today - UK) – Well three Hayling entrepreneurs might not be in Apprentice star Alan Sugar's league when it comes to drumming up high-powered marketing and business plans – but they might just have hit on an idea to give visitors a happy memory of Hayling. Retired businesswoman Mary Jane Lomer – who has been suffering from pulmonary hypertension decided to turn her hobby of creating tea towels into a nice little earner for her favourite charity.
6/3/09 Concert Getting $35M Up Front in Early Stage GSK Agreement
(BioWorld) – With the first Phase I data and the first patents relating to deuterium-modified compounds firmly in hand, Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. set out looking for a partner and ended up scoring big by signing GlaxoSmithKline plc to a multiproduct collaboration that could be worth more than $1 billion in up-front and milestone payments. Concert's early stage pipeline includes antiviral compounds against HIV and hepatitis C virus, as well as research in pulmonary hypertension, chronic pain and other areas.
6/1/09 Local Drugmaker Found Great Partner in Eli Lilly - United Therapeutics Knew More About Rare Lung Disease
(The Washington Post) – When the phone rang, Jeffs was at a conference on pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and debilitating disease for which his company makes a drug used in the later stages. Eli Lilly was looking for a partner to use its erectile dysfunction drug Cialis.
5/29/09 New Use for Active Ingredient of Cialis
(WebMD) – Tadalafil, the Active Ingredient in ED Drug Cialis, Approved as Adcirca to Treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
5/27/09 Miracle Recovery For Sutton Lung Disease Girl
(Sutton Borough Guardian - UK) – Isabella Siddall, five, from Sutton, was born eight weeks before her due date, with underdeveloped lungs that led her to suffer from pulmonary hypertension (PT) and be dependent on being supplied with oxygen for the first years of her life.
5/26/09 FDA approves Adcirca (Tadalafil) Tablets for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
(News-Medical.Net) – United Therapeutics Corporation announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Adcirca (tadalafil) tablets for oral administration, with a recommended dose of 40 mg, as the first once-daily phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
5/24/09 Path Breaking Heart Surgery Performed at Chettinad Health City
(India PRwire) – Chettinad Health City, state-of-art multi-specialty hospital at Kelammbakkam on the IT Corridor Chennai, has now to its credit an exceptional & rare surgery – Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE) (Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy is not a common procedure.
5/19/09 Bayer Schering Presents Positive Results of Phase II Study With Riociguat
(Pharmacy Europe) – Positive data from a phase II trial with Bayer Schering Pharma’s oral agent riociguat (BAY 63-2521) in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were presented today at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) international conference in San Diego, USA.
5/19/09 New Data for Gilead Sciences' Ambrisentan Show Clinical Improvements in a Diverse Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Population
(PharmiWeb) – Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced results from ARIES-3, an open-label, single-arm, Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ambrisentan in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), which showed a mean 21-meter improvement from baseline in six-minute walk distance (6MWD) at 24 weeks.
5/18/09 Pulmonary Hypertension Association Names Dr. Nicholas Hill Recipient of 2009 Award of Excellence in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Care
(PR Newswire) – The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), Tufts Medical Center, and Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., today announced Dr. Nicholas Hill of Tufts Medical Center as the recipient of the 2009 PHA Award of Excellence in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Care.
5/18/09 College of Medicine Names New Chair
(Killeen Daily Herald) – The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and Scott & White Healthcare announce the appointment of Dr. Alejandro C. Arroliga as chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine for the college and Scott & White. Arroliga, a specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine, is a nationally and internationally recognized authority in the management of lung diseases and critical care medicine. He has focused his patient care on acute respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, bronchogenic carcinoma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and emphysema.
5/18/09 ATS Bosentan in Combination With Tadalafil
(PharmaLive) – Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who receive an additional 20 or 40mg tadalafil to their first-line bosentan therapy demonstrated a trend towards a positive 23m improvement during the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) test, a measure of symptom severity and functioning, according to the PHIRST study data [1] presented at the 2009 American Thoracic Society (ATS) conference today.
5/17/09 Each Day a Bonus For En Ting
(New Straits Times) – The active ingredient in the drug, best-known for treating erectile dysfunction, is responsible for the Year One pupil at the Foon Yew Primary school in Johor Baru being in the pink of health today.
5/15/09 The Scleroderma Foundation Applauds Introduction of First Bill In Congress Promoting Research and Awareness of Scleroderma
(PRNewswire) – The Scleroderma Foundation applauds Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) for introducing H.R. 2408, the "Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act" in the House of Representatives today. This bipartisan legislation gives hope to the estimated 300,000 Americans and their families living with this devastating disease.
5/15/09 Progress in Ontario for Patients With Uncommon but Serious Lung Disorder, but More Access to Current Treatments Still Needed
(Canada NewsWire) – Patients in Ontario living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a serious lung disorder, received a substantial piece of good news with a recent decision by the Ontario Public Drug Programs (OPDP).
5/15/09 Waltham Rallies Around an Old Friend
(Daily News Tribune) – Family and friends will gather tonight at a fundraiser at the Sons of Italy Hall to help Debra Tiano Face, who is raising a family while fighting cancer. Her husband, Charles, suffers from primary pulmonary hypertension, a chronic, debilitating illness which has left him unable to work.
5/12/09 Invisible Illness Hinders Mobility
(Howick and Pakuranga Times) – PEOPLE shouting and glaring can make a simple trip to the shops an exasperating and upsetting challenge for Nicola Farland. Diagnosed three-and-a-half years ago with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the 33-year-old is often accused of illegally using mobility parking spaces even though she struggles to walk more than 200 metres.
5/11/09 Sleep Apnea Thickens Blood Vessels, Increases Heart Disease Risk
(ScienceDaily) – Obstructive sleep apnea, or periodic interruptions in breathing throughout the night, thickens sufferers' blood vessels. Moreover, it increases the risk of several forms of heart and vascular disease. Emory researchers have identified the enzyme NADPH oxidase as important for the effects obstructive sleep apnea has on blood vessels in the lung.
5/7/09 Super Effort Helps To Raise Funds For Hospice
(campaignseries.co.uk) – A superhero dad and his enthusiastic colleagues have raised more than $1,207 by dressing up as super heroes to support his severely ill son and the children of Ty hafen hospice.
5/7/09 2008 Grad Needs New Heart: A Doctor Initially Blamed his Yearlong Symptoms on ‘Senioritis.’
(vindy.com) – Most people say Jordon Baer has a heart as big and strong as humanly possible-metaphorically. But in the physical world, Jordon’s heart needs to be replaced. The 18-year-old 2008 Girard High School graduate was diagnosed last November with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart-muscle disease, which has also caused pulmonary hypertension.
5/6/09 AHFV Helps Saves New Born
(expressindia.com) – PCMC’s first AHFV, which is installed at Aditya Birla Hospital, has helped save the life of a critically ill new born. The little baby girl was diagnosed to have me-conium aspiration syndrome and pulmonary hypertension.
5/6/09 Sildenafil (Viagra) Eases Newborns’ Pulmonary Hypertension
(medpagetoday.com) – Using sildenafil (Viagra) to treat severe, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn can help them adapt to breathing outside the womb, according to a researcher.
5/2/09 Garage Sale in Morris Plains Helps Vet Waiting For Lung Transplant
(dailyrecord.com) – Vincent Hogan got the call for a double lung transplant early one morning a little more than 3-months ago. Then, after he was prepared for surgery, he was told to go home. A lung that surgeons had hoped to use contained a cancerous mass and was unusable, his family said.
4/29/09 Puopolo Bocce Tournament, May 9
(wickedlocal.com) –- The Medford Boat Club will hold a bocce tournament for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, May 9, in memory of Tony Puopolo, who fought this rare and deadly disease of the lungs and heart for almost a year and a half, at 12 noon.
4/29/09 Swanley: Friends and family raising money for charity in memory of Lucy
(thisislocallondon.co.uk) –- Friends and family of a 24-year-old woman killed by a rare lung condition held a curry night to raise $1,103 (£740) for charity in her name. Calvin and Debbie Clarke of Phillip Avenue, Swanley, lost their daughter Lucy on April 7 last year after her two-year battle with pulmonary hypertension.
4/27/09 Pulmonary Hypertension May Predict Nonresponse of Heart Failure to Resynchronization Therapy
(theheart.org) –- The presence of secondary pulmonary-artery hypertension may identify patients with systolic heart failure who are eligible or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) but who are unlikely to gain any benefit from it, according to a preliminary study unveiled here at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation 2009 Scientific Sessions.
4/27/09 Ask Dr. H: Pulmonary Hypertension Explained
(philly.com) –- What is pulmonary hypertension? Mitchell Hecht, medical columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, answers the question in his Monday, April 27, post.
4/27/09 Cure Pulmonary Hypertension Fundraiser Resuscitated
(woodlandsonline.com) –- The Cure PH Bug Boil is rescheduled for Saturday, May 9, from 1-5 p.m. at Town Green Park in The Woodlands. The event will serve Cajun cuisine, including crawfish and alligator.
4/25/09 Lung Transplant in Children With Cystic Fibrosis
(advanceweb.com) –- Studies suggest that transplantation in Cystic Fibrosis patients should occur when the patient has oxygen-dependent respiratory failure, hypercapnia or pulmonary hypertension.22 If the sickest patients are identified, referred and receive lung transplants, the number of deaths of patients on waiting lists would be reduced.
4/25/09 What Is A Hole In The Heart?
(health.asiaone.com) -- A hole in the heart is the common name given to congenital heart defects in the wall of the heart. If left untreated, this may lead to pulmonary hypertension.
4/24/09 Bosentan (Tracleer®) Receives Positive CHMP Opinion For Pediatric Formulation
(tradingmarkets.com) -- The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has issued a positive opinion for Actelion Ltd.’s pediatric formulation of Bosentan (Tracleer®) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Currently, no drug is indicated for the treatment of PAH in children below 12 years of age; once licensed, Bosentan will be the only PAH treatment with a pediatric formulation.
4/24/09 New Study Shows Long-Term Benefits for Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
(prweb.com) -- Results of a recent two-year study show promising long-term survival benefits for patients living with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Research of new treatments has focused mainly on outcomes other than survival in shorter term three-to-12 month studies.
4/23/09 Disney Dreams Come True For Sick Sutton GIrl
(yourlocalguardian.co.uk) – An 8-year-old British girl was given the holiday of a lifetime by pub patrons. Kaylee Mynot of Gander Green Lane, Sutton, suffers from atrioentricular septal defect and pulmonary hypertension. Her parents, Kaye Russell and Scott Mynot, decided to surprise her with a special holiday and patrons from their local pub, the Gander, raised £1,100 so the whole family could go to Disneyland in Paris.
4/17/09 She’s Thankful Every Day For Donor’s ‘Precious Gift’
(DailyPostAthenian.com) -- For most people, a simple trip to the mailbox is no problem. But for Pam Everett-Smith, the short trip once was almost impossible. Now, though, Everett-Smith has lived 18 years - thanks to a selfless organ donor - and with April being Organ Donation Awareness Month she thought there was no better time to tell her story. Everett-Smith was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension, a hereditary disease which affects the lungs and heart.
4/14/09 Jamie’s Thanks For Helping To Make His Dream Come True
(gazettelive.co.uk) – Six years ago his only goal was to say alive. But now heart and double-lung transplant survivor Jamie Woodhouse is set to see his second dream come true as he prepares to jet off to Australia for the World Transplant Games.
4/13/09 Pulmonary Hypertension In Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Community-Based Study (4/13)
(cardiosource.com) – A recent study has found pulmonary hypertension is highly prevalent and often severe in heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction.
4/10/09 Nippon Shinyaku Signs Agreement With Eli Lilly Japan and Eli Lilly And Company For Cialis
(tradingmarkets.com) – Pharmaceutical company Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., and U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company have signed a licensing agreement for Cialis. Under the terms of the agreement, Cialis would be exclusively promoted and sold by Nippon Shinyaku in Japan starting July 1.
4/6/09 Darusentan encouraging in hard-to-treat hypertensives
(theheart.org) – The first of two phase 3 trials with a new endothelin receptor antagonist darusentan has shown promise in patients with resistant hypertension, Gilead Sciences in Foster City, Calif., reports.
4/4/09 Silver Lake Man Fighting 'Death Sentence'
(timesuniononline.com) -- Dave Basham shouldn't be alive. Doctors told him he wouldn't live more than two years after being diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. That was five years ago. Now Basham and his wife, Lois, struggle to afford the medications that keep him alive.
4/3/09 New Trophies To Be Challenged For
(hexham-courant.co.uk) – The challenge is a fund-raising event organized by the North of Tyne Search and Rescue Team. An innovation this year is the introduction of the Bev Farnie Trophies in remembrance of Bev Farnie, who died of the rare disease pulmonary hypertension in 2007.
4/2/09 Biomarker Predicts Outcomes in Pulmonary Hypertension
(modernmedicine.com) -- High blood levels of a marker of inflammation and tissue damage, C-reactive protein (CRP), are associated with disease severity and survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to a report in the April 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
4/1/09 Living With Pulmonary Hypertension (search for Merle Reeseman)
(kdka.com) -- Merle Reeseman and Rebeca Dosal, pulmonary hypertension patients, along with BJ Schneider, R.N., B.S.N.,a clinical specialist with United Therapeutics, talk about living with and treating the disease.
April 2009 Limitations to the 6-Minute Walk Test in Interstitual Lung Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension in Scleroderma
(jrheum.org) --
The Journal of Rheumatology presents an abstract on a 6-minute walking test to determine factors that influence the 6-minute walk distance in patients with scleromerma-interstitial lung disease, SSc-pulmonary hypertension, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
3/23/09 Foundation Study Explores Women’s Rare Blood Pressure Condition
(Heart and Stroke Foundation) -- In a rare condition known as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, blood pressure is abnormally high in the pulmonary arteries (arteries that carry blood to the lungs for oxygenation). This makes it more difficult for blood to flow through the lungs, causing shortness of breath and fatigue.
3/20/09 Taiwan Foundation For Rare Disorders focuses on more patient support despite decrease in public donations
(TFFRD March Newsletter) -- Taiwan Foundation For Rare Disorders continues to provide new services in addition to already existing ones as the foundation suffers from a reduction of public donation income. The new services include performing classes, the establishment of Heavenly Melody Chorus, and more than 10 experience camps, one-day trips and summer camps held.
3/17/09 St. Patty's Day Tournament Nets Big Catches
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel) -- A total of 166 anglers fished on 60 boats. The 19th annual Small Boat Charity Fishing Tournament proceeds will help defray the costs of medical care for Tracey- Ann Robinson, 11, of Coconut Creek, who has pulmonary artery hypertension and complications from sickle cell anemia.
3/16/09 United Therapeutics Expects Delay On Drug
(Triangle Business Journal) United Therapeutics said regulators at the FDA have concerns about the patient instructions on the nebulizer used to deliver the drug, known as Tyvaso.
3/11/09 Miracle Lung Transplant Has Steep Price Tag For Easthampton Girl
(www.gazettenet.com) -- Cassie Tessier's mother calls it a miracle. And it's hard to argue with her. Tessier, 17, suffered a collapsed lung several days after Christmas and was rushed from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield to Boston Children's Hospital by ambulance with a doctor and LifeFlight crew. Emergency crews wanted to fly her to Boston but were prevented by an ice storm. A chaplain had been on hand at Baystate. She was on a ventilator and unconscious for nine days.
3/5/09 New AGH Institute Strives For Groundbreaking Cardiovascular Research
(WTAE-TV4, Pittsburgh) A new research facility in Pittsburgh could make a big difference in the lives of people with a history of pulmonary hypertension in their family. Allegheny General Hospital is opening a new research institute, which focuses on genetic problems and solutions.
3/5/09 Pulmonary Hypertension in Children May Result from the Reduced Activity of Gene Regulator
(Physorg.com) Too little activity be gene regulators called PPARS appears to be a major player in the irreversible lung damage that can occur in children with heart defects, researchers say.
March, 2009 Mountains To Climb – Allegheny General’s Ray Benza Goes to Great Lengths and Heights
(Pittsburgh Professional Magazine) Some people climb mountains. Others try to move them. Dr. Ray Benza does both. Here is a man driven by a vision.
3/2/09 US Food and Drug Administration Issues Complete Response Letter Regarding the Tracleer Supplemental New Drug Application
(PharmaLive.com) Actelion Ltd announced today it has received a complete response letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the supplemental New Drug Application (NDA) the company filed in August 2007.
3/1/09 Floyd County Education Center Program Teaches Students To Give Back
(Rome News-Tribune) Students at the Floyd County Education Center are learning how to make better choices in the future. For the past seven years, the FCEC Service Learning program is one example of how students are learning the importance of giving back to the community.
2/27/09 FDA Approves SYMBICORT(R) for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
(PR Newswire) AstraZeneca today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SYMBICORT (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) 160/4.5 mcg for the twice daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
2/24/09 Prime Minister Launches Organ Donor Awareness Week
(The Age, Australia) Most people would switch off their mobile phones if they had a meeting with the prime minister - not Kylie Corkery. The 29 year-old mother of two is waiting for a lung transplant and has just four hours to travel from Canberra to Sydney's St Vincent Hospital to have an organ transplant.
2/23/09 Actelion Announces Acquisition of a New Formulation of Intravenous Epoprostenol with Improved Therma (pdf)
(ALLSCHWIL/BASEL, SWITZERLAND ) Actelion announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire an improved, thermostable formulation of epoprostenol sodium for the intravenous treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) from privately-held GeneraMedix Inc. (GXI).
2/23/09 Mobile Native Beating Odds, Helps Form Support Group
(al.com) For as long as she can remember, Donna Head wanted to be a nurse. And after graduating from Robertsdale High School, she pursued her nursing degree at Faulkner State Community College and then at the University of South Alabama.
2/20/09 Rare, Nearly Fatal Illness Brings Shattered Family Back Together
(Medical News Today) A near-fatal illness forced a couple to set aside all their differences and come back together as one. In August 2008, Judy Lorenz was diagnosed with primary veno-occlusive disease, an extremely rare form of pulmonary hypertension
2/18/09 Artificial Lung Kept Teen Alive Until Transplant
(CTV.ca, Canada) Last summer, 16-year-old Katie Sutherland was on the brink of death, her lungs failing, her heart working far too hard. She needed a lung transplant quickly but no good matches were available. Then, her doctors decided they would take a risk and try something that had never been performed before on a child. They hooked her up to an external artificial lung system.
2/16/09 Jumping Rope Has Special Meaning for Curtis Third-Grader
(Pawtucket Times) A nine-year-old third grader will be swinging his rope nearly nonstop for an hour in honor of 20-month-old Teagan Grant, a girl who was born prematurely -- and with pulmonary hypertension.
2/10/09 A Breath Of Life
(Daily News Record) Thirteen-year-old Maddie Shinaberry fell in love with dancing when she was just a toddler. The Rockingham County teen joined the Rockingham Ballet Dance Theater at age 9, and by 11, she was invited to dance with the American Ballet Theater in New York City.
2/9/09 Bayer Starts Phase III Study of Lung Drug riociguat
(Reuters, United Kingdom) - Bayer AG (BAYG.DE) has entered phase III of testing its experimental pulmonary-hypertension drug riociguat after the pill showed promise in an earlier trial, the company said on Monday.
2/1/09 Pineville Recipient of Transplants Shows Thanks with Community Work (The Town Talk) - Anitra Kimble's heart has grown bigger for Pineville after the city helped her get a new heart and set of lungs. The Pineville resident had a heart and lung transplant after being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2005.
1/28/09 23andMe and mondoBIOTECH Partner to Advance Research of Rare Diseases (PR News wire, Switzerland) - 23andMe and mondoBIOTECH will work together to facilitate research of the genetic bases of rare and potentially fatal diseases, such as Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Sarcoidosis, and Pulmonary Fibrosis, the genetics of which are poorly understood.
1/28/09 Brave Abby McDonald Inspires Mother Sherrie
(Herald Sun.com, Australia) - Five year old girl with heart condition inspires her mother who has Pulmonary Hypertension.
1/26/09 Kindergartener Not Slowed by Rare Condition
(9 WSYR – Syracuse) - She's one of a kind in Onondaga County -- and really, there are very few like her, anywhere. Sarah Peek is a little girl with pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the main artery of the lungs.
1/26/09 Dr. Stuart Jamieson Named to Endowed Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UC San Diego Medical Center
(UC San Diego Medical Center) - World-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Stuart Jamieson, MB, FRCS, Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California, San Diego, has been named first to hold the endowed Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UC San Diego.
1/26/09 Viagra For Kids
(Trinidad & Tobago Exress, Trinidad) The erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, also known as sildenafil, is being used on children in Trinidad and Tobago who are suffering with Pulmonary Hypertension.
1/16/09 Ty Hafan ‘Saved Our Family’
(WalesOnine.co.uk) Ty Hafan a charitable organization that helps children with life-limiting illnesses helps a UK PH patient and his family.
1/15/09 Friends Rally Around Hoffman Girl and Her Family
(Daily Herald) -- For the second year, friends will host "A Cure for Five Pennies: Daddy's Little Girl," an attempt to raise funds to benefit Nicole Elsenbroek, daughter of Hoffman Estates residents Scott and Maria Elsenbroek, and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
01/09 Hope and Courage: Living with Pulmonary Hypertension
(Sarasota Magazine) -- Gail Bucci, 52, is a petite woman with fiery red hair, glowing skin and an ear-to-ear smile. She’s the picture of health, but looks can be deceiving. She’s fighting a deadly disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension. Today, Bucci is winning the battle. It took her several years before she knew what she was fighting.
1/5/09 Silent illness: Pulmonary hypertension is a Rare Disorder That's Hard to Diagnose
(Desert News) -- Katy Doak was 4 years old when she unexpectedly fainted, the first hint that something was seriously wrong with her. Later, looking back, her mom would remember that she wasn't as active as other little kids. She seemed drawn to "quiet" activities.
1/2/09 Green Bay Woman Gets Second Chance at Life
(Green Bay Press-Gazette) -- Two years ago, the Green Bay resident learned she had less than a year to live. In the midst of battling pulmonary hypertension, she also found out her kidneys were failing.
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