Italian researchers have reported that the drug bosentan has reduced the clinical decline in patients suffering from early stages of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Previous studies had shown that bosentan improved exercise capacity and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and slowed clinical decline in patients with later stages of PAH.

The researchers conducted this most recent study using one-hundred and eighty-five people ranging from age twelve and up. They all had early-stages of PAH and were separated into two groups. One group received the drug bosentan and the other received a placebo. The patients’ PVR and distance they were able to walk in six minutes was measured at the beginning of the study then again six months later. At the end of the six months, the PVR mean improved significantly in those taking bosentan versus those on placebo. Three percent of patients on bosentan and fourteen percent of those on placebo experienced clinical worsening, some as severe as hospitalization and even death.

Although this study needs more research and data to support its initial findings, the initial results indicate that bosentan may be an effective and useful drug in battling this difficult disease.

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