Decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance at 24 weeks greater with sotatercept versus placebo for pulmonary arterial hypertension<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, March 31, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For patients receiving background therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment with sotatercept results in a reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Marc Humbert, M.D., Ph.D., from H \u00b4pital Bic \u00aatre in Paris, and colleagues conducted the 24-week placebo-controlled period of a multicenter phase 2 trial in which 106 adults receiving background therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension were randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous sotatercept at a dose of 0.3 or 0.7 mg\/kg body weight every three weeks or placebo. An 18-month active-drug extension period for this trial is currently ongoing.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the least-squares mean difference in the change from baseline to week 24 in pulmonary vascular resistance between the sotatercept 0.3-mg group and the placebo group was \u00e2\u0088\u0092145.8 dyn\/sec\/cm-5<\/sup>; the corresponding difference between the sotatercept 0.7-mg group and the placebo group was \u00e2\u0088\u0092239.5 dyn\/sec\/cm-5<\/sup>. At 24 weeks, the least-squares mean difference in the change from baseline in six-minute walk distance between the sotatercept 0.3-mg and placebo groups was 29.4 m; the corresponding difference between the sotatercept 0.7-mg and placebo groups was 21.4 m. There was also an association seen for sotatercept with a decrease in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels. The most common hematologic adverse events were thrombocytopenia and an increased hemoglobin level.<\/p>\n “Treatment with sotatercept reduced pulmonary vascular resistance among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension who were receiving stable background therapy, including prostacyclin infusion therapy,” the authors write.<\/p>\n The study was funded by Acceleron Pharma, the manufacturer of sotatercept.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n