Ventavis Made by CoTherix: Inhaled Prostacyclin

Ventavis is an inhaled form of prostacyclin used to treat patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. It is currently the only prostacyclin treatment that dilates the pulmonary vessels by inhalation.

The active substance of Ventavis is iloprost, a synthetic prostacyclin. Ventavis is a powerful vasodilator of the pulmonary arteries. It's use has been shown to reduce pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance as well as increased cardiac output.

Ventavis shows improvements in patients ability to exercise and overall symptoms.

According to the company web site, Scherring AG held a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial in 203 adult patients with stable pulmonary hypertension.

Inhaled iloprost (or placebo) was added to patients' current therapy, which could include a combination of anticoagulants, traditional vasodilators, diuretics, oxygen, and digitalis, but not prostacyclin or its analogues.

The clinical trial results showed an end point of improvement in NYHA functional class and at least 10 percent increase in the distance walked in six minutes was met by more by patients receiving Ventavis than by patients receiving the placebo.

In September 2003, Ventavis was approved in Europe by the European Commission in a Centralized Procedure for the treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension. US approval is pending.



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Although Pulmonary Hypertension cannot be cured using existing medicine. It can be controlled with new drugs and therapies.

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