We examined safety and long-term outcomes of intravenous treprostinil administered via the implantable LENUS Pro pump in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH).
Patients with PH undergoing ...pump implantation between December 2009 and October 2016 in German referral centers were retrospectively analyzed (end of follow-up: May 2017). The primary objective was to determine long-term safety of the implantable pump. Secondary end points were 3-year survival and prognostic relevance of pre-implantation hemodynamics.
We monitored 129 patients (120 with pulmonary arterial hypertension, 1 with PH due to lung diseases, and 8 with inoperable chronic thromboembolic PH) for 260 patient-years (median follow-up, 19 months; interquartile range, 11-34 months). There were 82 complications/peri-procedural events in 60 patients; of these, 57 were serious adverse events (0.60 per 1,000 treatment-days), including 2 periprocedural deaths due to right heart failure. The incidence of complications related to the pump, catheter, infection, and pump pocket per 1,000 treatment-days was 0.074, 0.264, 0.032 (3 local infections; no bloodstream infections), and 0.380, respectively. Three-year overall and transplant-free survival were 66.5% and 55.7%, respectively (39 patients died; 16 underwent lung transplantation). Baseline cardiac index independently predicted transplant-free survival (multivariate hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-3.28; p = 0.019; n = 95).
Our data suggest that intravenous treprostinil via the LENUS Pro pump in advanced PH is associated with a very low risk of bloodstream infections, but other serious adverse events may occur. Therefore, this therapy needs standardization and should be offered in specialized PH centers only. Further technical advances of the pump system and prospective studies are needed.
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare, debilitating, and life-threatening disease. We investigated associations between markers of disease severity and long-term outcomes in ...patients with inoperable CTEPH or persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) who were receiving the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat. We also present safety and efficacy from the final data cutoff of CHEST-2, where most patients had received riociguat for at least 2 years.
Eligible patients from the CHEST-1 study entered the CHEST-2 open-label extension study, in which all patients received riociguat individually adjusted to a maximum dose of 2·5 mg three times per day. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. We did exploratory assessments of associations between markers of disease severity (6-min walking distance 6MWD, N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide NT-proBNP concentration, and WHO functional class) at baseline and follow-up with overall survival and clinical worsening-free survival. We used Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses. CHEST-2 is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00910429.
237 patients entered CHEST-2. At 2 years, overall survival was 93% (95% CI 89-96) and clinical worsening-free survival was 82% (77-87). A significant association with overall survival was seen for 6MWD and NT-proBNP concentration at baseline (p=0·0199 and p=0·0183, respectively) and at follow-up (p=0·0385 and p=0·0068, respectively). Change from baseline in 6MWD was also significantly associated with survival (p=0·0047). WHO functional class at baseline and follow-up showed no significant association with overall survival but was associated with clinical worsening-free survival. Riociguat was well tolerated by most patients and no new safety signals were identified. Serious adverse events were seen in 129 (54%) of 237 patients, and 14 (6%) discontinued riociguat therapy because of adverse events.
Riociguat may be used long term in patients with CTEPH. 6MWD and NT-proBNP concentration are good prognostic markers.
Bayer Pharma AG.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a chronic disease associated with poor long-term outcomes. Identifying predictors of long-term outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension is important to assess ...disease severity and guide treatment. We investigate associations between efficacy parameters and long-term outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving riociguat in the PATENT-2 study. We also present safety and efficacy data from the final data cutoff of PATENT-2, where most patients had received at least 2 years of riociguat treatment.
Eligible patients from the PATENT-1 study entered the PATENT-2 open-label extension, which will continue until all patients transition to the commercial drug. All patients received riociguat individually adjusted to a maximum dose of 2·5 mg three times a day. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability, assessed with recording adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and deaths; exploratory assessments included 6-min walking distance (6MWD), WHO functional class, N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)concentrations, Borg dyspnoea score, health-related quality of life (EQ-5D score), survival, and clinical worsening-free survival. Association between efficacy parameters and long-term outcomes was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analyses and a Cox proportional-hazards regression model. PATENT-2 is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00863681.
396 patients entered PATENT-2, of whom 197 patients were receiving riociguat monotherapy and 199 were receiving riociguat in combination with endothelin receptor antagonists or prostanoids, or both. A significant association was noted between 6MWD, NT-proBNP concentration, and WHO functional class and overall survival at baseline (p=0·0006, 0·0225, and 0·0191, respectively), and at follow-up (p=0·021, 0·0056, and 0·0048, respectively). Riociguat was well tolerated in PATENT-2. Serious adverse events were recorded in 238 (60%) of the total population, and 45 (11%) patients discontinued treatment because of an adverse event. Improvements in 6MWD, WHO functional class, and NT-proBNP concentrations were maintained after 2 years of treatment.
These results support the long-term use of riociguat in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and emphasise the prognostic value of 6MWD, WHO functional class, and NT-proBNP concentrations.
Bayer Pharma AG.
