August 1, 2002

Inhaled Iloprost for Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

The number of effective, long-term treatments for pulmonary hypertension is limited. In this double-blind, randomized trial, an aerosolized form of iloprost, a stable analogue of the pulmonary vasodilator prostacyclin, was assessed over a 12-week period. Iloprost had a beneficial effect on the combined end point of the distance walked in six minutes and an improvement in the New York Heart Association functional class.

The advantage of iloprost is that it can be administered by inhalation, thus avoiding the intravenous infusion required for the administration of prostacyclin and allowing delivery of the drug directly to the lungs.