Clinical utility of treprostinil in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension: an evidence-based review

Mitchell S Buckley,1 Andrew J Berry,1 Nadine H Kazem,2 Shardool A Patel,3 Paul A Librodo41Department of Pharmacy, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 2Department of Pharmacy, St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 3Department of Pharmacy, Banner Estrella Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 4Department of Pharmacy, San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USAAbstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a progressive disease without a cure, despite the development of several treatment options over the past several decades. Its management strategy consists of the endothelin receptor antagonists (ambrisentan, bosentan, macitentan), phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil), and prostacyclin analogs (epoprostenol, treprostinil, iloprost). Treprostinil, a stable prostacyclin analog, displays vasodilatory effects in the pulmonary vasculature, as well as antiplatelet aggregation properties. Clinical practice guidelines recommend oral endothelin receptor antagonist or phosphodiesterase inhibitor therapy in mild to moderate PAH. Epoprostenol is specifically suggested as first-line therapy in moderate to severe PAH patients (ie, World Health Organization/New York Heart Association functional class III–IV). However, treprostinil may be an alternative option in these severe PAH patients. The longer half-life and stability at room temperature with treprostinil may be associated with lower risk ...
Source: Core Evidence - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Core Evidence Source Type: research