SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actelion Ltd announced today that it is recruiting for two new clinical trials in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) secondary to sickle cell disease (SCD).
Pulmonary hypertension occurs in about 30% of patients with sickle cell disease.(1) Without treatment, only about 50% of patients survive beyond 2 years from the time of diagnosis.(2) In patients with PH the pulmonary arteries narrow, causing the heart to work harder and resulting in shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, chest pain and an increased risk of death. The ASSET clinical trial program is designed to evaluate the effect of a new drug therapy in patients with SCD who also have symptomatic PH.
The investigators are collecting data on key measures of clinical success such as pulmonary vascular resistance, exercise capacity, clinical outcomes, which include prevention of hospitalization, decreased number of sickle cell crises, death and other important clinical assessments, and safety.
Both trials are currently registering eligible patients that are 12 years of age and older. Interested patients and physicians can contact Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Please call Christine M. Winslow, Ph.D. at 856-773-4756). More information can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Investigators and study sites Physician Center Location Investigator Ataga , Kenneth University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC Badesch, David University of Colorado Denver, CO Benza, Raymond University of Alabama Birmingham Birmingham, AL Cajigas, Hector Henry Ford Hospital Detroit, MI Frost, Adaani Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX Gordeuk, Victor Howard University Hospital Washington, DC Klings, Elizabeth Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine Boston, MA Machado, Roberto National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD Mubarak, Kamal Harper University Hospital/ Wayne State University Detroit, MI Munoz, Luisa Berkeley Cardiovascular Medical Group Berkeley, CA Muthiah, Muthiah P. University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN Niihara, Yutaka Harbor -- UCLA Medical Center Torrance, CA Ortega, Wilman SoLUtions/Saint Louis Univeristy St. Louis, MO Patel, Bela University of Texas Medical School Houston, TX Rosenzweig, Erika Columbia University Medical Center New York, NY Saunthararajah, Yogen University of Illinois Medical Center Chicago, IL Schilz, Robert University Hospitals of Ohio Cleveland, OH Smith, Wally Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Richmond, VA Sood, Namita Ohio State University Columbus, OH Telen, Marilyn Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC Weaver, Sheila Temple University Lung Center Philadelphia ,PA Coghlan, Gerry Royal Free Hospital London, UK Kiely, David Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield, UK Biemond, B.J. Amsterdam Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands Galacteros, Frederic CHU Henri Mondor Creteil, France Parent, Fl Hopital Antoine Beclere Clamart, France Inamo, Jocelyn CHU de Fort de France La Martinique About Tracleer and Actelion Ltd
Actelion Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland, markets its products through its subsidiaries in the US, the EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland. Founded in 1997, Actelion is a leader in innovative science related to the endothelium -- the single layer of cells lining all blood vessels. Actelion focuses on the discovery, development, and marketing of innovative drugs for significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SWX Swiss exchange .
References
1. Gladwin MT, Sachdev V, Jison ML, et al. Pulmonary hypertension as a risk factor for death in patients with sickle cell disease. N Engl J Med. 2004; 350:886-895.
2. Castro O, Hoque M, Brown B. Pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease: cardiac catheterization results and survival. Blood. 2003; 101:1257-1261
Actelion Ltd
CONTACT: investors, Roland Haefeli, +1-650-624-6936, of Actelion Ltd; orCraig Hopkinson, V.P. Medical of Atelion Pharmaceuticals, U.S., Inc.,+1-650- 624-6920, or cell, +1-650-515-0011
Web site: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/
