Tag Archives: PH

Two new treatments for IPF

Posted on October 15, 2014 by CVCinfo

FDA approves Esbriet to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

October 15, 2014

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Esbriet (pirfenidone) for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become progressively scarred over time. As a result, patients with IPF experience shortness of breath, cough, and have difficulty participating in everyday physical activities. Current treatments for IPF include oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and lung transplant.

“Esbriet provides a new treatment option for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a serious, chronic lung disease,” said Curtis J. Rosebraugh, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We continue to help advance medication therapies by approving products that treat conditions that impact public health.”

The FDA granted Esbriet fast track, priority review, orphan product, and breakthrough designations. Esbriet is being approved ahead of the product’s prescription drug user fee goal date of Nov. 23, 2014, the date the agency was scheduled to complete the review of the drug application.

Esbriet acts on multiple pathways that may be involved in the scarring of lung tissue. Its safety and effectiveness were established in three clinical trials of 1,247 patients with IPF. The decline in forced vital capacity – the amount of air which can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible – was significantly reduced in patients receiving Esbriet compared to patients receiving placebo.

Esbriet is not recommended for patients who have severe liver problems, end-stage kidney disease, or who require dialysis. Esbriet should be taken with food to minimize the potential for nausea and dizziness. Patients should avoid or minimize exposure to sunlight and sunlamps and wear sunscreen and protective clothing, as Esbriet may cause patients to sunburn more easily.

The most common side effects of Esbriet are nausea, rash, abdominal pain, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, dyspepsia, dizziness, vomiting, decreased/loss of appetite, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, sinusitis, insomnia, decreased weight, and arthralgia.

The FDA also today approved Ofev (nintedanib) for the treatment of IPF.

Esbriet is manufactured for InterMune, Inc., Brisbane, California.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

###

 

FDA approves Ofev to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

October 15, 2014

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ofev (nintedanib) for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become progressively scarred over time. As a result, patients with IPF experience shortness of breath, cough, and have difficulty participating in everyday physical activities. Current treatments for IPF include oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and lung transplant.

“Today’s Ofev approval expands the available treatment options for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a serious, chronic condition,” said Mary H. Parks, M.D., deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Providing health care professionals and patients with additional treatment options helps enable appropriate care decisions based on a patient’s need.”

The FDA granted Ofev fast track, priority review, orphan product, and breakthrough designations. Ofev is being approved ahead of the product’s prescription drug user fee goal date of Jan. 2, 2015, the date the agency was scheduled to complete the review of the drug application.

Ofev is a kinase inhibitor that blocks multiple pathways that may be involved in the scarring of lung tissue. Its safety and effectiveness were established in three clinical trials of 1,231 patients with IPF. The decline in forced vital capacity – the amount of air which can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible – was significantly reduced in patients receiving Ofev compared to patients receiving placebo.

Ofev is not recommended for patients who have moderate to severe liver problems. Ofev can cause birth defects or death to an unborn baby. Women should not become pregnant while taking Ofev. Women who are able to get pregnant should use adequate contraception during and for at least three months after the last dose of Ofev.

The most common side effects of Ofev are diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, liver enzyme elevation, decreased appetite, headache, decreased weight, and high blood pressure.

The FDA also today approved Esbriet (pirfenidone) for the treatment of IPF.

Ofev is distributed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, Connecticut.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

###

 

InterMune Announces Expanded Access Program for Pirfenidone to Treat Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) in the United States

Date(s): 5/16/14 8:00 AM

For a complete listing of InterMune news releases, please click here

BRISBANE, Calif., May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) today announced it will provide compassionate use of pirfenidone through a multi-center Expanded Access Program (EAP) in the United States to be conducted under InterMune’s U.S. IND. Pirfenidone is an investigational therapy in the U.S. and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Expanded access programs provide a mechanism for early access to an investigational drug in the pre-approval period to treat patients with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition that has no comparable or satisfactory alternative treatment options.

“We are pleased to offer this expanded access program for eligible patients in the U.S.,” said Jonathan Leff, M.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development, InterMune. “This EAP provides a mechanism for eligible patients to access pirfenidone as a treatment option, following the recent successful completion of our ASCEND Phase 3 trial and prior to FDA’s final decision on the approvability of pirfenidone in the United States.”

To enroll in the EAP, a patient must meet specific clinical criteria. Eligible patients must have a clinical and radiographic diagnosis of IPF with the presence of a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Additional criteria for the EAP are listed on www.clinicaltrials.gov. It is important to note that only a physician who is participating in the EAP can assess a potential patient for eligibility. The EAP protocol contains provisions for stopping enrollment of patients in the EAP upon a decision by the FDA on the approvability of a pirfenidone New Drug Application (NDA).

There are currently a limited number of sites accepting patients for enrollment to the pirfenidone EAP and InterMune expects that all sites will be participating by September of 2014. InterMune is working with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) and other advocacy groups to enable patients with IPF to obtain information about the pirfenidone EAP.

For more information about the pirfenidone EAP, including eligibility criteria and participating clinical centers, contact InterMune Medical Information at 888-486-6411 or the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) at 844-TalkPFF (844-825-5733) or visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About IPF
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible and ultimately fatal disease characterized by progressive loss of lung function due to fibrosis (scarring) in the lungs, which hinders the ability of lungs to absorb oxygen. IPF inevitably causes shortness of breath, and a deterioration in lung function and exercise tolerance. IPF patients follow different and unpredictable clinical courses and it is not possible to predict if a patient will progress slowly or rapidly, or when the rate of decline may change. Periods of transient clinical stability in IPF, when they occur, inevitably give way to continued disease progression. The median survival time from diagnosis is two to five years, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 20-40 percent, which makes IPF more rapidly lethal than many malignancies, including breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers. IPF typically occurs in patients over age 45, and tends to affect slightly more men than women.

About Pirfenidone
Pirfenidone is an orally active, anti-fibrotic agent that inhibits the synthesis of TGF-beta, a chemical mediator that controls many cell functions including proliferation and differentiation, and plays a key role in fibrosis. Pirfenidone also inhibits the synthesis of TNF-alpha, a cytokine that is known to have an active role in inflammation.

About InterMune
InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, the company is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive, irreversible, unpredictable and ultimately fatal lung disease. Pirfenidone is not approved for marketing in the United States. InterMune’s research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune’s judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including without limitation InterMune’s expectations regarding the availability of its Expanded Access Program for patients in the U.S. with IPF. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune’s actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune’s forward-looking statements.

Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in InterMune’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 24, 2014 (the “Form 10-K”) and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, including but not limited to the following: (i) the risks related to the uncertain, lengthy and expensive clinical development process for the company’s product candidates, including having no unexpected safety, toxicology, clinical or other issues and having no unexpected clinical trial results such as unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; (ii) risks related to the regulatory process for the company’s product candidates, including the possibility that the results of the new 52-week Phase 3 clinical trial (ASCEND) having an FVC endpoint may not be satisfactory to the FDA for InterMune to receive regulatory approval for pirfenidone in the United States; (iii) risks related to unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; and (iv) risks related to the company’s manufacturing strategy, which relies on third-party manufacturers and which exposes InterMune to additional risks where it may lose potential revenue. The risks and other factors discussed above should be considered only in connection with the fully discussed risks and other factors discussed in detail in the Form 10-K and InterMune’s other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune’s web site at www.intermune.com.

SOURCE InterMune, Inc.

Investors: Jim Goff, InterMune, Inc., 415-466-2228, [email protected], Media: Geoff Curtis, Edelman, 312-550-8138, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lundbeck’s SABRIL® (vigabatrin) Now Approved by U.S. FDA as an Adjunctive Treatment Option for Children 10 and older with Refractory Complex Partial Seizures

Deerfield, Ill., October 28, 2013 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved SABRIL (vigabatrin) as add-on therapy for the treatment of refractory complex partial seizures (CPS) in children 10 years of age and older who have inadequately responded to several other treatments and if the possible benefit outweighs the risk of vision loss.¹ This approval expands upon the age range of SABRIL’s previous indication as adjunctive therapy for adults with refractory CPS. SABRIL is not indicated as a first-line agent for refractory CPS.

Of the more than two million Americans affected by epilepsy,² approximately 35 percent have CPS, which originates from a single region of the brain and can cause impaired consciousness.³ Approximately 30 to 36 percent of those with CPS continue to have seizures despite trying multiple therapies, and are considered to have refractory CPS.^4,5,6

“It is crucially important for people with challenging seizures like refractory CPS to not give up and continue striving for improved seizure management, and this expanded Sabril indication provides another consideration for the treatment of those ten and older with refractory CPS,” said Philip Gattone, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. “We encourage people living with such challenging seizures and their loved ones to have ongoing conversations with their doctor about available options to help manage this intractable seizure disorder.”

When SABRIL was first approved in 2009, a patient registry was established to collect information on all patients who are prescribed SABRIL. To date, more than 5,600 patients have been treated with SABRIL, a substantial number of whom have been treated for refractory CPS.⁷ In evaluating whether to start SABRIL, doctors, patients and their caregivers work together to assess the risk of permanent vision loss versus the benefit of seizure reduction. There are other serious risks associated with SABRIL. Please see the important safety information below for more details.

“With so many children still having seizures due to refractory CPS, we are very pleased that the FDA has approved SABRIL for patients 10 and older who may benefit from a new add-on treatment option,” said Amy Magro, Director of Epilepsy Marketing at Lundbeck. “For those caring for a child as young as 10, we hope this new indication provides encouragement to speak with their child’s doctor about the risks and potential benefits of adding SABRIL for refractory CPS.”

In addition to its refractory CPS indication, SABRIL is approved for use in babies one month to two years of age with infantile spasms if the possible benefit outweighs the potential risk of vision loss.

For more information, please visit www.SABRIL.net.

About SABRIL® (vigabatrin) ¹
SABRIL is a prescription oral antiepileptic drug developed in the United States by Lundbeck. SABRIL is available in 500-mg tablets or 500-mg packets of powder for oral suspension. Because of the risk of permanent vision loss, SABRIL is available only through a restricted program under a REMS called the SHARE Program. (1-888-45-SHARE).

Use
SABRIL (vigabatrin) is a prescription medicine used with other treatments in adults and children 10 years of age and older with refractory complex partial seizures (CPS), who have not responded well enough to several other treatments, and if the possible benefits outweigh the risk of vision loss. SABRIL should not be the first medicine used to treat CPS.

SABRIL (vigabatrin) is a prescription medicine used in babies, 1 month to 2 years old, with infantile spasms (IS), if the possible benefits outweigh the possible risk of vision loss.

Important Safety Information

WARNING: VISION LOSS

See Medication Guide and full Prescribing Information for complete information

In all people who take SABRIL:

• You are at risk for vision loss with any amount of SABRIL

• Your risk of vision loss may be higher the more SABRIL you take daily and the longer you take it

• It is not possible for your healthcare provider to know when vision loss will happen. It could happen soon after starting SABRIL or any time during treatment. It may even happen after treatment has stopped.

• SABRIL can permanently damage the vision of anyone who takes it. The most noticeable loss is in the ability to see to the side when looking straight ahead (peripheral vision). If this happens, it will not get better. People who take SABRIL do not lose all of their vision, but some people can have severe loss and may only be able to see things straight in front of them (sometimes called “tunnel vision”), and they may also have blurry vision.
• Tell your healthcare provider right away if you (or your child): might not be seeing as well as before starting SABRIL; start to trip, bump into things, or are more clumsy than usual; are surprised by people or things coming in front of you that seem to come out of nowhere; or if your baby is acting differently than normal. These changes can mean that vision damage has occurred.
• Your healthcare provider will test your (or your child’s) vision before or within 4 weeks after starting SABRIL, and at least every 3 months during treatment until SABRIL is stopped. Vision should also be tested about 3 to 6 months after SABRIL is stopped. You (or your child) may not be able to be tested in certain situations. It is difficult to test vision in babies, but to the extent possible, all babies should have their vision tested. Your healthcare provider will determine if testing can be done. Regular vision testing is important because damage can happen before any changes are noticed.
• Vision tests cannot prevent the vision damage that can happen with SABRIL, but they do allow SABRIL to be stopped if vision has gotten worse, which usually will lessen further damage. Even these regular vision tests may not show vision damage before it is serious and permanent. Parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers may not recognize the symptoms, or find vision loss in babies, until it is severe.
• If vision tests are not done regularly, your healthcare provider may stop prescribing SABRIL for you (or your child). Some people are not able to complete vision testing. If vision testing cannot be done, your healthcare provider may continue prescribing SABRIL, but will not be able to watch for any vision loss.
• Brain pictures taken by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show changes in some babies after they are given SABRIL. It is not known if these changes are harmful.
• Like other antiepileptic drugs, SABRIL may cause suicidal thoughts and actions in some people. Call a healthcare provider right away if you (or your child) have any symptoms, especially sudden changes in mood, behaviors, thoughts or feelings, and especially if they are new, worse, or worry you.
• Do not stop SABRIL without first talking to a healthcare provider. Stopping SABRIL suddenly can cause seizures that will not stop.
• SABRIL can cause serious side effects such as low red blood cell counts, sleepiness and tiredness, nerve problems, weight gain, and edema. Because SABRIL causes sleepiness and tiredness, do not drive, operate machinery, or perform hazardous tasks, unless it is decided that these things can be done safely. SABRIL may make certain types of seizures worse. Tell your healthcare provider right away if seizures get worse.
• Before starting SABRIL, tell your doctor about all of your (or your child’s) medical conditions including depression, mood problems, suicidal thoughts or behavior, any allergic reaction to SABRIL, vision problems, kidney problems, low red blood cell counts, and any nervous or mental illness. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you (or your child) take.
• If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, SABRIL can pass into breast milk and may harm your baby. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, it is not known if SABRIL will harm your unborn baby. You and your healthcare provider will have to decide if you should take SABRIL while you are pregnant.
• The most common side effects of SABRIL in adults include: problems walking or feeling uncoordinated, feeling dizzy, shaking (tremor), joint pain, memory problems and not thinking clearly, eye problems like blurry vision, double vision, and eye movements that cannot be controlled. The most common side effects of SABRIL in children 10 to 16 years of age include weight gain, upper respiratory tract infection, tiredness, and aggression. Also expect side effects like those seen in adults.
• The most common side effects of SABRIL in babies include: sleepiness—some babies may have a harder time suckling and feeding or may be irritable, swelling in the bronchial tubes (bronchitis), ear infection, and irritability.
• Tell your healthcare provider if you or your child has any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of SABRIL. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Please see SABRIL Medication Guide, full Prescribing Information including Boxed Warning, and Instructions for Use; go to www.sabril.net, or call toll-free 1-888-45-SHARE (1-888-457-4273).

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

About Lundbeck in the U.S.
A wholly owned subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S of Denmark, Lundbeck in the United States is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, and is committed to providing innovative specialty therapies that fulfill unmet medical needs of people with central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including several therapies for people with challenging seizure disorders.

With a special commitment to the epilepsy community, Lundbeck actively supports and participates in hundreds of community-based initiatives. Learn more about our epilepsy community programs at http://www.lundbeck.com/us/our-commitment/community-involvement.

About H. Lundbeck A/S
Lundbeck is a global pharmaceutical company highly committed to improving the quality of life of people living with brain diseases. For this purpose, Lundbeck is engaged in the entire value chain throughout research, development, production, marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company’s products are targeted at disorders such as depression and anxiety, psychotic disorders, epilepsy, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Lundbeck’s pipeline consists of several mid- to late-stage development programs.

Lundbeck employs more than 5,800 people worldwide, 2,000 of whom are based in Denmark. We have employees in 57 countries and our products are registered in more than 100 countries. We have research centers in Denmark, China and the United States and production facilities in Italy, France, Mexico, China and Denmark. Lundbeck generated revenue of approximately DKK 15 billion in 2012. Lundbeck’s shares are listed on the stock exchange in Copenhagen under the symbol “LUN.” Lundbeck has a sponsored Level 1 ADR programme listed in the US (OTC) under the symbol “HLUYY.” For additional information, we encourage you to visit our corporate site www.lundbeck.com.

Sources

1. SABRIL® (vigabatrin) full Prescribing Information, Deerfield, IL. Lundbeck. 2013.
2. Epilepsy Foundation. About Epilepsy: Statistics. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/index.cfm/statistics. Accessed 10/2/13.
3. Carroll E. Medscape. Complex Partial Seizures. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1183962-overview. Accessed 10/2/13.
4. Kwan P, Brodie MJ. Early identification of refractory epilepsy. N Engl J Med. 2000; 342:314-9.
5. Devinsky O. Patients with refractory seizures. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:1565-70.
6. Rielo DM. Medscape. Vagus Nerve Stimulation. 2011. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1186123-overview. Accessed 10/2/13.
7. Data on File.

###

CONTACT:
Matt Flesch
847-282-1154

SABRIL is a registered trademark of Lundbeck.

VGB-B-00018

Actelion receives U.S. FDA approval of Opsumit (macitentan) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Allschwil, Switzerland, October 18, 2013 – Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the orally available endothelin receptor antagonist Opsumit® (macitentan) 10 mg once daily for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to delay disease progression.

Opsumit is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) to delay disease progression. Disease progression included: death, initiation of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous prostanoids, or clinical worsening of PAH (decreased 6-minute walk distance, worsened PAH symptoms and need for additional PAH treatment). Opsumit also reduced hospitalization for PAH.

Effectiveness was established in a long-term study in PAH patients with predominantly WHO Functional Class II-III symptoms treated for an average of 2 years. Patients were treated with Opsumit® monotherapy or in combination with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors or inhaled prostanoids. Patients had idiopathic and heritable PAH (57%), PAH caused by connective tissue disorders (31%), and PAH caused by congenital heart disease with repaired shunts (8%).

Dr. Vallerie McLaughlin, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, commented: “Over the past twenty years, great strides have been made in treating PAH patients. However, there has been a medical need for innovative treatments that improve long-term outcomes. Opsumit® is the first clinically proven and only oral treatment option indicated to delay disease progression and reduce the need for PAH hospitalization.”

Dr. McLaughlin concluded: “These effects were demonstrated in SERAPHIN, the first and largest PAH outcome study to date, where Opsumit® was given on average for 2 years, as a monotherapy or in combination with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors or inhaled prostanoids. I am very pleased that PAH patients will have this new treatment option.”

Jean-Paul Clozel, M.D. and Chief Executive Officer of Actelion commented: “Today’s approval of Opsumit® by the FDA is providing the PAH community with a unique treatment option, the only oral PAH medicine that has proven to delay disease progression. Over the last 14 years, Actelion has worked tirelessly to first discover and then develop Opsumit® in the largest, longest and first-ever outcome study in PAH. I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the PAH community. Without their contribution, Opsumit® would not have become a reality. We will now leverage our existing PAH expertise and infrastructure to bring Opsumit® to patients within the coming weeks.”

The US label for Opsumit® carries a Boxed Warning alerting patients and health care professionals that the drug should not be used in pregnant women because it can harm the developing fetus. Female patients can receive the drug only through the Opsumit REMS Program. All female patients must be enrolled in the program, comply with pregnancy testing requirements and be counselled regarding the need for contraception.

The most common adverse reactions (more frequent than placebo by 3% or more) observed in patients treated with Opsumit® were anemia, nasopharyngitis/pharyngitis, bronchitis, headache, influenza, and urinary tract infection.

Physicians are advised to measure hemoglobin and liver enzymes prior to initiation of Opsumit® and repeat during treatment as clinically indicated.

In the United States, Actelion expects Opsumit® to become available to patients in November. Outside of the United States, Actelion continues to work with health authorities to obtain regulatory approval for Opsumit® .

The FDA approval was based in part on data from the landmark phase III SERAPHIN study. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2013, the SERAPHIN study showed the risk of the first occurrence of a morbidity or mortality event, the primary endpoint of the study, was reduced by 45% (p<0.0001) with macitentan 10 mg compared to placebo. This effect was observed irrespective of whether or not patients were already treated with other therapies for PAH. SERAPHIN also showed a risk reduction in PAH related hospitalization and death of 50% (p<0.0001) compared to placebo. [1].

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic, life-threatening disorder characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs of an affected individual. The symptoms of PAH are non-specific and can range from mild breathlessness and fatigue during normal daily activity to symptoms of right heart failure and severe restrictions on exercise capacity and ultimately reduced life expectancy.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR
ABOUT OPSUMIT® (MACITENTAN)

Opsumit® (macitentan) is a novel dual endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) that resulted from a tailored drug discovery process with the target of developing an ERA to address efficacy and safety [3].

ABOUT THE SERAPHIN STUDY
SERAPHIN (Study with an Endothelin Receptor Antagonist in Pulmonary arterial Hypertension to Improve cliNical outcome) was the largest and longest randomized, controlled study in PAH patients to include a clearly defined morbidity/mortality primary endpoint [2]. The pivotal Phase III study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Opsumit®(macitentan) – a novel dual endothelin receptor antagonist that resulted from a tailored drug discovery process – through the primary endpoint of time to first morbidity and all-cause mortality event in patients with symptomatic PAH.

Global enrollment was completed in December 2009 with a total of 742 patients. Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to receive two different doses of macitentan (3 mg and 10 mg once daily) or placebo. Patients were allowed to receive PAH background therapy throughout the study, either PDE-5 inhibitors or oral/inhaled prostanoids. This event-driven study was conducted in 151 centers from almost 40 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa and was completed in the first half of 2012, with 287 patients having an adjudicated event.

Dr. McLaughlin is a consultant to Actelion and was an investigator in the SERAPHIN trial.

ABOUT SERAPHIN STUDY DATA
Patients were randomized to placebo (n=250), macitentan 3 mg (n=250), or macitentan 10 mg (n=242). The primary end point occurred in 46.4%, 38.0%, and 31.4% of the patients in these groups, respectively. The hazard ratio for macitentan 3 mg versus placebo was 0.70 (97.5% CI, 0.52 to 0.96; p=0.0108) and the hazard ratio for macitentan 10 mg versus placebo was 0.55 (97.5% CI, 0.39 to 0.76; p<0.0001). Worsening of pulmonary arterial hypertension was the most frequent primary end point event. The effect of macitentan on this end point was observed irrespective of background therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. [1]

ABOUT THE SAFETY AND TOLERABILITY PROFILE
Opsumit is contraindicated in pregnancy because it may harm the developing fetus. Females of reproductive potential should be counselled on the use of reliable contraception and have a negative pregnancy test prior to initiating therapy and monthly thereafter.

Other ERAs have been associated with elevations of aminotransferases, hepatotoxicity, and liver failure. Liver enzyme tests should be obtained prior to initiation of Opsumit® and repeated during treatment as clinically indicated. If clinically relevant aminotransferase elevations occur, or if elevations are accompanied by clinical symptoms of hepatoxicity, discontinue Opsumit®.

Decreases in hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit occurred following administration of other ERAs and were observed in clinical studies with OPSUMIT. The decreases occurred early and stabilized thereafter. Decreases in hemoglobin seldom require transfusion. Initiation of Opsumit® is not recommended in patients with severe anemia. Hemoglobin should be measured prior to initiation of treatment and repeat during treatment as clinically indicated.

Should signs of pulmonary edema occur, consider the possibility of associated PVOD. If confirmed, discontinue Opsumit®.

Other ERAs have been associated with adverse effects on spermatogenesis. Men should be counseled about potential effects on fertility.

The use of Opsumit® with strong CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors should be avoided.

The most common adverse reactions (more frequent than placebo by 3% or more) observed in patients treated with Opsumit were anemia, nasopharyngitis/pharyngitis, bronchitis, headache, influenza, and urinary tract infection.

ABOUT OPSUMIT® (MACITENTAN) SUBMISSIONS TO HEALTHCARE AUTHORITIES

Approval of the new drug application for Opsumit® (macitentan) was issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 18October 2013 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) to delay disease progression. Disease progression included: death, initiation of intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous prostanoids, or clinical worsening of PAH (decreased 6-minute walk distance, worsened PAH symptoms and need for additional PAH treatment). The need for PAH hospitalization was also reduced.

Regulatory reviews are ongoing in Europe, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Taiwan, Korea and Mexico.

ABOUT PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION [9, 10]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic, life-threatening disorder characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs of an affected individual. The symptoms of PAH are non-specific and can range from mild breathlessness and fatigue during normal daily activity to symptoms of right heart failure and severe restrictions on exercise capacity and ultimately reduced life expectancy.

PAH is one group within the classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH). This group includes idiopathic PAH, heritable PAH and PAH caused by factors which include connective tissue disease, HIV infection and congenital heart disease.

The last decade has seen significant advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PAH, which has been paralleled with developments of treatment guidelines and new therapies. Drugs targeting the three pathways that have been established in the pathogenesis of PAH are endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), prostacyclins and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. PAH treatments have transformed the prognosis for PAH patients from symptomatic improvements in exercise tolerance 10 years ago to delayed disease progression today. Improved disease awareness and evidence-based guidelines developed from randomized controlled clinical trial data have highlighted the need for early intervention, goal-oriented treatment and combination therapy.

In PAH, survival rates are unacceptably low and PAH remains incurable.

References

1. Pulido T et al. Macitentan and Morbidity and Mortality in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. N Engl J Med 2013;369:809-18.
2. Proceedings of the 4th world symposium on pulmonary hypertension. J Am CollCardiol 2009;54(1 Suppl).
3. Bolli MH et al. The Discovery of N-[5-(4-Bromophenyl)-6-[2-[(5-bromo-2-pyrimidinyl)oxy]ethoxy]-4-pyrimidinyl]-N’-propylsulfamide (Macitentan), an Orally Active, Potent Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonist. J Med Chem. 2012; 55:7849-61.
4. Gatfield J, Mueller Grandjean C, Sasse T, Clozel M, Nayler O (2012). Slow Receptor Dissociation Kinetics Differentiate Macitentan from Other Endothelin Receptor Antagonists in Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells. PLOS ONE 7(10): e47662. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047662
5. Iglarz M et al. Pharmacology of macitentan, an orally active tissue-targeting dual endothelin receptor antagonist. J PharmacolExpTher. 2008;327(3):736-45.
6. Sidharta PN et al. Macitentan: Entry-into-humans study with a new endothelin receptor antagonist. Eur J ClinPharmacol. 2011;67(10):977-84
7. Bruderer S et al. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of macitentan, a dual endothelin receptor antagonist, in humans. Xenobiotica. 2012 Sep;42(9):901-10
8. Bruderer S et al. Effect of cyclosporine A and rifampin on the pharmacokinetics of macitentan, a tissue-targeting dual endothelin receptor antagonist. AAPS J. 2012;14(1):68-78.
9. Galiè N, Hoeper MM, Humbert M, et al; ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (CPG). Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension: the Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), endorsed by the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Eur Heart J 2009;30:2493-537
10. Benza RL, Miller DP, Barst RJ, Badesch DB, Frost AE, McGoon MD. An evaluation of long-term survival from time of diagnosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension from REVEAL. Chest 2012;142:448-56.

Actelion Ltd
Actelion Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland. Actelion’s first drug Tracleer® (bosentan), an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved as a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer through its own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide, including the United States (based in South San Francisco), the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Actelion, founded in late 1997, is a leading player in innovative science related to the endothelium – the single layer of cells separating every blood vessel from the blood stream. Actelion’s over 2,300 employees focus on the discovery, development and marketing of innovative drugs for significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI®).

For further information please contact:
Roland Haefeli
Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Public Affairs
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Gewerbestrasse 16, CH-4123 Allschwil
+41 61 565 62 62
+1 650 624 69 36
www.actelion.com

The above information contains certain “forward-looking statements”, relating to the company’s business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “estimates”, “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “are expected to”, “will”, “will continue”, “should”, “would be”, “seeks”, “pending” or “anticipates” or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company’s investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company’s existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

News Release Intended for U.S. Media Only

---

FDA Approves Bayer’s New Class of Drug Adempas® (riociguat) tablets to Treat Adults with PAH and Persistent, Recurrent or Inoperable CTEPH First and only drug approved in U.S. to Treat Two Forms of Pulmonary Hypertension (WHO Group 1 and 4)

---

Whippany, N.J., October 8, 2013 – Bayer HealthCare announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Adempas®  (riociguat) tablets for: (i) the treatment of adults with persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) (WHO*  Group 4) after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class; and (ii) the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (WHO Group 1) to improve exercise capacity, improve WHO functional class and delay clinical worsening. In PAH, efficacy was shown in patients on Adempas monotherapy or in combination with endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) or prostanoids (inhaled, oral or subcutaneous). Studies establishing effectiveness included predominately patients with WHO functional class II-III and etiologies of idiopathic or heritable PAH (61%) or PAH associated with connective tissue diseases (25%). Adempas is the only treatment approved in the U.S. for use in two types of pulmonary hypertension (WHO Group 1 and 4). It is the first and only FDA-approved drug therapy for persistent/recurrent CTEPH after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH. It is also the only approved oral therapy in PAH with efficacy shown in monotherapy or in combination with ERAs or prostanoids. For all female patients, Adempas is available only through a restricted program called the Adempas Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program.

1 World Health Organization

“CTEPH and PAH are serious and life-threatening diseases,” said Nick H. Kim, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Director, Pulmonary Vascular Medicine; Director, Fellowship Program; University of California San Diego. “The approval of Adempas equips physicians with a new approach to treating PAH patients, and it gives us the first approved drug treatment for patients with inoperable CTEPH or with persistent/recurrent CTEPH after surgery. While surgery should always be considered as the first treatment option for CTEPH, the fact remains that up to forty percent of CTEPH patients are not eligible for surgery, and ten to thirty-five percent of CTEPH patients have disease that persists after surgery.” PAH is a disease characterized by elevated pressure in the pulmonary arteries. CTEPH is a form of pulmonary hypertension in which blood clots and thromboembolic occlusion of the pulmonary vessels leads to increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. The standard treatment for CTEPH is pulmonary endarterectomy, a potentially curative surgery that clears clots and scar material from the blood vessels of the lung. “Bayer is deeply committed to bringing new treatment options to patients with life-threatening diseases. Adempas is an excellent example of this commitment, because it is the result of years of dedicated research in our Bayer laboratories into a new way of treating two forms of pulmonary hypertension,” said Pamela A. Cyrus, MD, Vice President and Head, U.S. Medical, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. “We are pleased to bring this new class of treatment to patients with PAH or with inoperable CTEPH or persistent/recurrent CTEPH after surgical treatment.” Rino Aldrighetti, President and CEO, Pulmonary Hypertension Association added, “From a patient’s perspective, living with pulmonary hypertension remains difficult. We know that not all treatments work for all people. We get excited when there is a new treatment option for PAH patients, and we are thrilled there is finally an approved drug treatment for people living with persistent/recurrent CTEPH after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH.” Adempas, a stimulator of soluable guanylate cyclase (sGC), represents a new class of drug now available in the U.S. Pulmonary hypertension is associated with endothelial dysfunction, impaired synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and insufficient stimulation of the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway. Adempas sensitizes sGC to endogenous NO by stabilizing the NO-sGC binding. Adempas also directly stimulates sGC via a different binding site independently of NO. Adempas restores the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway and leads to increased generation of cGMP with subsequent vasodialation. The most common adverse reactions occurring more frequently (>3%) on Adempas than placebo were headache (27% vs 18%), dyspepsia/gastritis (21% vs. 8%), dizziness (20% vs 13%), nausea (14% vs 11%), diarrhea (12% vs 8%), hypotension (10% vs 4%), vomiting (10% vs 7%), anemia (7% vs 2%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (5% vs 2%), and constipation (5% vs 1%). Other events that were seen more frequently in Adempas compared to placebo and potentially related to treatment were: palpitations, nasal congestion, epistaxis, dysphagia, abdominal distension and peripheral edema. About Patient Assistance Program Bayer offers patient assistance through the Adempas Aim Support Center program, which will assist with obtaining coverage and patient support of Adempas. Patients and providers may contact the program at 1-855-4ADEMPAS for additional information. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION 

WARNING: EMBRYO-FETAL TOXICITY Do not administer Adempas (riociguat) tablets to a pregnant female because it may cause fetal harm.

Females of reproductive potential: Exclude pregnancy before the start of treatment, monthly during treatment, and 1 month after stopping treatment. Prevent pregnancy during treatment and for one month after stopping treatment by using acceptable methods of contraception.

For all female patients, Adempas is available only through a restricted program called the Adempas Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program.

Contraindications. Adempas is contraindicated in:

• Pregnancy. Adempas may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Adempas was consistently shown to have teratogenic effects when administered to animals. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus
• Co-administration with nitrates or nitric oxide donors (such as amyl nitrite) in any form.
• Concomitant administration with phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, including specific PDE-5 inhibitors (such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil) or nonspecific PDE inhibitors (such as dipyridamole or theophylline).

Warnings and Precautions Embryo-Fetal Toxicity. Adempas may cause fetal harm when administered during pregnancy and is contraindicated for use in women who are pregnant. In females of reproductive potential, exclude pregnancy prior to initiation of therapy, advise use of acceptable contraception and obtain monthly pregnancy tests. For females, Adempas is only available through a restricted program under the Adempas REMS Program. Adempas REMS Program. Females can only receive Adempas through the Adempas REMS Program, a restricted distribution program. Important requirements of the Adempas REMS program include the following:

• Prescribers must be certified with the program by enrolling and completing training.
• All females, regardless of reproductive potential, must enroll in the Adempas REMS Program prior to initiating Adempas. Male patients are not enrolled in the Adempas REMS Program.
• Female patients of reproductive potential must comply with the pregnancy testing and contraception requirements.
• Pharmacies must be certified with the program and must only dispense to patients who are authorized to receive Adempas.

Further information, including a list of certified pharmacies, is available at www.AdempasREMS.com or 1-855-4ADEMPAS. Hypotension. Adempas reduces blood pressure. Consider the potential for symptomatic hypotension or ischemia in patients with hypovolemia, severe left ventricular outflow obstruction, resting hypotension, autonomic dysfunction, or concomitant treatment with antihypertensives or strong CYP and P-gp/BCRP inhibitors. Consider a dose reduction if patient develops signs or symptoms of hypotension. Bleeding. In the placebo-controlled clinical trials program, serious bleeding occurred in 2.4% of patients taking Adempas compared to 0% of placebo patients. Serious hemoptysis occurred in 5 (1%) patients taking Adempas compared to 0 placebo patients, including one event with fatal outcome. Serious hemorrhagic events also included 2 patients with vaginal hemorrhage, 2 with catheter site hemorrhage, and 1 each with subdural hematoma, hematemesis, and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease. Pulmonary vasodilators may significantly worsen the cardiovascular status of patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD). Therefore, administration of Adempas to such patients is not recommended. Should signs of pulmonary edema occur, the possibility of associated PVOD should be considered and if confirmed, discontinue treatment with Adempas.  Most Common Adverse Reactions  The most common adverse reactions occurring more frequently (>3%) on Adempas than placebo were headache (27% vs 18%), dyspepsia/gastritis (21% vs. 8%), dizziness (20% vs 13%), nausea (14% vs 11%), diarrhea (12% vs 8%), hypotension (10% vs 4%), vomiting (10% vs 7%), anemia (7% vs 2%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (5% vs 2%), and constipation (5% vs 1%). Other events that were seen more frequently in Adempas compared to placebo and potentially related to treatment were: palpitations, nasal congestion, epistaxis, dysphagia, abdominal distension and peripheral edema. For important risk and use information, please see the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, at www.adempas-us.com. About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women’s Healthcare. The company’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases. Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer. Intended for U.S. media only U.S. Media Contact: Marcy Funk, Communications, Bayer HealthCare Telephone: (862) 404-5385 E-Mail: [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

News Release Intended for U.S. Media Only

---

FDA ADVISORY COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF BAYER’S RIOCIGUAT IN TWO PULMONARY HYPERTENSION INDICATIONS

If approved by the FDA, riociguat will be the first treatment for inoperable CTEPH or persistent/recurrent CTEPH after surgery and a new treatment for PAH

---

Whippany, N.J., August 6, 2013– Bayer HealthCare today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval for investigational riociguat, proposed trade name Adempas™, in two forms of pulmonary hypertension. The Committee voted 11 to 0 that riociguat should be approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension [PAH] of WHO1 Group 1. The Committee also voted 11 to 0 that riociguat should be approved for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) of WHO Group 4. In February 2013, Bayer submitted a new drug application for riociguat in two indications: (i) the treatment of PAH (WHO Group 1) to improve exercise capacity, improve WHO functional class and delay clinical worsening; and (ii) the treatment of persistent/recurrent CTEPH (WHO Group 4) after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class. “We appreciate the Committtee’s discussion today around the safe and appropriate use of riociguat and are pleased with the outcome of the votes,” said Pamela A. Cyrus, MD, Vice President and Head of U.S. Medical Affairs, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. “If approved, riociguat will offer a new treatment option for patients with PAH and will also provide the first approved non-surgical treatment option for CTEPH patients who are inoperable or who have recurrent or persistent disease. We look forward to continued dialogue with the FDA in order to make riociguat available to patients.”

1 World Health Organization

PAH and CTEPH are both life-threatening forms of pulmonary hypertension that cause significantly increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. Riociguat is an investigational, oral medication for the treatment of adult patients with PAH or inoperable or persistent/recurrent CTEPH. If approved by the FDA later this year, it would create a new class of therapy available in the U.S. PH is associated with endothelial dysfunction, impaired synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and insufficient stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Riociguat stimulates sGC independent of NO and increases the sensitivity of sGC to NO. Data presented at today’s advisory committee meeting included results from the global Phase 3 clinical program, which enrolled 704 patients across two Phase 3 studies. Both studies met their primary endpoint by demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in the six-minute walk test (6MWT), after 16 and 12 weeks respectively. Riociguat was also associated with improvements across multiple, relevant, secondary endpoints in the studies. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events with riociguat were headache, dizziness, dsypesia, peripheral edema, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The advisory committee’s vote will be taken into consideration by the FDA when making its decision on the approvability of Bayer’s NDA for riociguat, which was submitted in February 2013. After acceptance of the NDA, the FDA granted riociguat priority review designation, which is given to drugs that have the potential to offer significant improvement in treatment or provide a treatment option where no adequate therapy exists. About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) In PAH, a rare and life-threatening disease, the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries (the arteries that take de-oxygenated blood to the lungs from the heart) is significantly increased. PAH is characterized by morphological changes to the endothelium of the arteries of the lungs causing remodeling of the tissue, vasoconstriction and thrombosis-in-situ. As a result of these changes, the blood vessels in the lungs are narrowed, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood through to the lungs. In most cases, PAH has no known cause and, in some cases, it can be inherited. About Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) CTEPH is also a rare and life-threatening disease in which it is believed that thromboembolic occlusion (organized blood clots) of pulmonary vessels gradually lead to an increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries, resulting in an overload of the right heart. CTEPH may evolve after prior episodes of acute pulmonary embolism, but the pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. The standard treatment for CTEPH is pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), a surgical procedure in which the blood vessels of the lungs are cleared of clot and scar material. However, CTEPH is inoperable in an estimated 20 to 40 percent of patients, and, in some cases, the disease persists or reoccurs after surgery. About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women’s Healthcare. The company’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases. Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Intended for U.S. media only Media Contact: Marcy Funk, Communications, Bayer HealthCare Telephone: (862) 404-5385 E-Mail: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Posted in About Us, Diseases, Featured | Tagged Adempas, Amy Magro, anti fibrotic agent, antiepileptic, ASCEND Phase 3 trial, Bayer, Bayer HealthCare, blood clots, child treatment, chronic, clinical, clinical trial, complex partial seizure, complex partial seizures, connective tissue diseases, CPS, CTEPH, cytokine, disease, drug, drugs, dyspepsia, endothelial dysfunction, endothelin receptor antagonists, Epilepsy, Epilepsy Foundation, ERA, FDA, fibrosis, Food and Drug Administration, gastritis, Healthcare, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inter mune, intermune, ipf, jonathan leff, Lundbeck, lung disease, macitentan, Marcy Funk, Matt Flesch, monotherapy, News release, opsumit, orphan fibrotic disease, partial seizure, partial seizures, Patient Assistance Program, pff, PH, PHA, Pharmaceutical, Philip Gattone, pirfenidone, prostanoids, pulmonary endarterectomy, Pulmonary Fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis foundation, Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease, rare, refractory, refractory CPS, REMS, Rino Aldrighetti, riociguat, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Program, Sabril, seizure, seizures, sgc, SHARE, SHARE program, soluable guanylate cyclase, thromboembolic occlusion, thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, treating children, treatment, University of California San Diego, vigabatrin, vision loss, World Health Organization | Leave a comment

Learning to Live with Pulmonary Hypertension

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Charlie

48-year-old Mari Jackson had worked since the age of 12. But last year, a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension forced her to slow down and approach life differently.

I got diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension last March. The symptoms started in February of last year, right around my husband’s birthday. It was like something out of the blue.

We had gone to dinner to celebrate his birthday and came home, and I said, “I’m going to get ready for work.”

I went upstairs to take a shower, and when I got off the bed to walk towards the bathroom, I just blacked out. When I woke up, I was on the floor, and I was face down by the sink.

I called my husband, and he and my son came running up the stairs, and my husband said, “What are you doing on the floor?”

I said, “I have no idea. I just blacked out.” My body had just shut down. I was so embarrassed.

But I didn’t pay it any attention. I worked for a mortgage company. Believe it or not, Monday through Friday, I drove every day to work—44 miles round trip. I worked anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a day, and I worked weekends and overtime.

I had an episode every weekend. I would pass out. I actually had a seizure one night. My husband noticed that every time I would go upstairs, I would get really, really light-headed and either fall backwards or lose my balance.

So, one night he came upstairs with me and said, “Let me just help you into the room.” I was using the bathroom, and I was sliding off the seat. I had a seizure, and he was right there to catch me, and I bit my tongue, and it was so weird because I had never had that happen.

He took me to the ER, and they ran a lot of tests. They said, “We don’t see anything, but we do see that you have pneumonia.” So, they gave me antibiotics for that, and I went home.

The first Saturday in March, I went to work. I got upset about something, and the whole left side of my arm turned ice cold. It was numb, and I kept shaking it. Then, I started sweating.

I told my manager, “I’m going home. I’m not going to be able to stay.” My manager said, “You don’t look well,” and he called my husband.

My husband came and got me and took me to the emergency room. My blood pressure was 280 over 190. They said, “You’re not going anywhere, so get comfortable.” I ended up having to be admitted. They ran some more tests, and I stayed there for a week.

They did a lung biopsy, and then a right heart catheter. They did a crash blood pressure drop on me, and they would give me blood pressure medication three times a day. I felt like somebody was coming in and beating me.

I said, “Why do I feel this way?” They said, “We have to get your blood pressure down.” I had no idea, because my pressure was always high.

Once I got all the test results back, I met with my pulmonologist. He told me I had pulmonary arterial hypertension, that basically, my heart and lungs are not friends right now. I had no idea that my life was going to change.

I was devastated. I wanted to go back to work. And I couldn’t. I couldn’t even go up the stairs in my house. I either stayed upstairs or downstairs. To walk from my kitchen to my bathroom, I was gassed out. If I got up too fast, I fell out. If I dropped my head too long to tie my shoe, I passed out.

I couldn’t understand it. I got mad. I questioned myself. I questioned God, and I know that wasn’t the right thing to do, but I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted answers. I prayed for understanding.

Then I just started learning. I got on the websites and started learning about PH. There were things I had to do differently. I was confined to my room for six weeks because I couldn’t go up and down the stairs. I had to sit on the stairs and go up backwards. I was a very independent person. Then to have to rely on someone to cook me breakfast, to get me water, I thought, ‘This is unreal.’

I had to reform my thinking. My doctor told me I had to lose weight. And I thought, ‘Well, how is that going to happen if I can’t exercise?’

So I had to learn how to cut back on carbs, sodium, and to fall in love with water. I was 325 pounds, and now I’m 260, and I feel much better than I did a year ago. My doctor actually told me last week, “Compared to how you were last year, you would have never known.”

It just happened. I have had asthma since I was a little girl, but I only had one flare up as an adult. PAH hides behind asthma, and then it explodes all of the sudden. People with asthma have to be very careful and have things checked out extensively. There were no gradual signs.

Every time I would go to the doctor, my blood pressure would be high, and they would ask, “Do you have high blood pressure in your family?” And I would say, “Yes.” And they would ask, “Well, how do you feel?” And I would say, “I feel fine.”

But passing out and having seizures, never had I experienced that before. I was going through my own thing.

I didn’t really want to talk to people, because I couldn’t talk. I was gassing out. The longer I talked, the worse it got. You could hear I was struggling to talk. Last year, I was in a wheelchair.

I was scared, because you read things on the internet about your life expectancy. Then you read about all the new medications that have been FDA-approved. You’re hoping and praying that one of those will work for you.

This year is like a complete turnaround. I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m able to walk distances at my own pace. I still use a wheelchair in big places. I don’t do the mall. I get anxiety around a lot of people, because I feel like, if something happens, I’m not going to be able to get out. I try not to go to a lot of places by myself, and if I go somewhere by myself, I let someone know where I am. I have a Life Alert.

When I walk, I do so at my own pace. If I get tired, I stop. I do all right. [Recently] I went to the doctor by myself. I walked in on my own. But I took my time.

I can’t work anymore—that was the biggest thing. My husband’s work is seasonal. Financially it’s very hard. So, I communicate a lot with other PAH patients. I’m on the website with them. I try to get other ideas from people about what they’re doing.

If I could do volunteer work, that would be good. It’s difficult, because I like working with people with disabilities. But I have to be real cautious about my surroundings. If I catch something, I can’t take anything over the counter.

I have two grown children; they’re 20 and 27. My husband has five. I have four grandchildren who live in Washington, D.C. Last year I couldn’t travel because I was sick. Maybe this year, if the weather and my health permit, we’ll take a little road trip to see them. My parents live in Seattle, but I can’t really visit them because of the altitude of a flight.

My youngest son was here for a year, and he was very helpful, but at the same time, he was a teenager, and I didn’t want him to be stuck in the house with me all summer. He ended up going back to California.

I’ve been working ever since I was 12. I don’t know what a hobby is. After I had kids, I went right back into the workplace.

I have a friend, and we’ll get together and have lunch once a month, and it’s nice. I do like to read. I like romance novels. I really got into talking with other people with PAH in my area. I want to look into a chapter here in Charlotte. Maybe I could do something with them.

My husband was and still is a very big part of my healing process. He always makes sure that my needs are taken care of, no matter what, even cooking dinner after working an eight-hour day. I really do appreciate my husband, and I thank God for him.

To the newly diagnosed, I would say, “It’s going to work out. Don’t get upset, because being upset starts a lot of things, like stress.” I still do that, but I really try not to.

Sometimes I think, ‘What if this gets turned off? What if I lose my house?’ I realized when I was doing that, it was making me worse.

I went through a point where I didn’t want to be bothered with anybody. I was mad. I thought, ‘Why can’t I work?’ I thought my life was done.

Now, I just take everything one day at a time. I don’t let anything bother me. I keep it moving. I want to be able to grab, absorb and use everything you give me to the best of my abilities.

I still call myself a newbie. To the newly diagnosed I would say, “Life still goes on. It’s just that you have to take it slow. It’s about you. Nobody else. That’s how it is.”

Posted in Diseases, Featured, Uncategorized | Tagged Asthma, crash blood pressure drop, disease, heart, high blood pressure, light headed, lung, lung biopsy, mari jackson, pah, PH, pneumonia, pulmonary arterial hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension, right heart catheter, seizure | 8 Comments

Video Testimonials

Posted on June 9, 2014 by CVCinfo

David Haygood, a patient with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency tells about his experience with Caring Voice Coalition.

Cheryl Staveley, parent and caregiver of Meghan Sullivan, a Huntington’s Disease patient, tells her story.

Kindra Cansler, caretaker for her son Justin, an Infantile Spasms patient, tells her story.

Joyce Scannell, a Narcolepsy patient, tells her story.

Beverly McGregor, a Pulmonary Hypertension patient, tells her story.

Posted in Media Center | Tagged alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency, HD, Huntington's Disease, Infantile Spasms, narcolepsy, PH, Pulmonary Hypertension | Leave a comment

We Can Be Heroes: Patricia George, M.D.

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Charlie

Patricia George, M.D., spoke with Community about her work in pulmonary transplant medicine, her HIV-PAH research, and her motivation as a member of PHA’s four-woman Team PHenomenal Hope in the nine-day 2014 Race Across America.

Going into medical school, I had passion for and experience in immunology research, so transplantation was something in which I was always interested. And like many who go into pulmonary medicine, I was initially drawn to it through my medical school and residency rotations in the medical intensive care unit. I enjoyed pulmonary physiology, and the work and pace of critical care medicine.

In addition, as a medical student, I met a patient with cystic fibrosis awaiting a lung transplant in the medical intensive care unit. I got to know her and her mom, and some of her life story, and wanted to be able to help people like her with lung disease. So that led me to pulmonary medicine and pulmonary transplant medicine.

My research involves looking at the mechanisms of HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (HIV-PAH). Pulmonary arterial hypertension is quite rare, however in patients with HIV, it affects at least 0.5 percent, and perhaps more, according to recent studies. That’s at least one in [every] 200 patients!

Advances in HIV care have changed the landscape for people with HIV, and many now label HIV a chronic disease. So medical complications, like HIV-PAH, become extremely important to study and hopefully help people live longer and live better.

Team PHenomenal Hope came together with people passionate about cycling and raising awareness. As an avid cyclist, it had long been a dream to someday race in the Race Across America (RAAM).

Stacie Truszkowski, one of my close friends in the cycling community, also shared this dream. So, in 2011 and 2012, Stacie and I reached out to our endurance cycling friends whom we thought might be crazy—er—passionate—enough to do this as well, and in 2012, with the addition of Anne-Marie Alderson, Ryanne Palermo, and Kate Bennett as our crew chief, our four-woman cycling team was born.

We organized this Pittsburgh-based team, met with our friends at PHA, as well as our earliest sponsors, and formed Team PHenomenal Hope. Later that summer, we added to this group Greta Daniels, assistant crew chief and alternate racer, and Sara Harper, alternate racer and crew.

Our mission is to dedicate our training and racing to those who live with pulmonary hypertension, to raise public awareness about the disease, and to raise funds to find a cure.

I started biking during pulmonary fellowship. I wanted to get back in shape, and a new women’s cycling team called Steel City Endurance was forming. I joined them in the inaugural year, and became totally enamored with biking and bike racing and met a lot of really neat people.

I enjoy being outside, escaping the stresses of my sometimes hectic lifestyle. As for endurance cycling, I enjoy pushing my body and mind to some sort of limit. It allows you to lose yourself in the present—how you’re feeling at that time.

We’re working with our team coach, who’s helping coordinate our training schedules so that they build and peak at the right time. Training is about consistency—getting the workouts in, getting stronger every day (except rest days). Eating healthy and getting enough sleep are crucial too.

As a team, we’re racing the whole race as a relay. To make the time cut-off and make it to the finish line as fast as we can, we divide up the ride into 20-to-30-minute segments.

On a four-person team, typically two riders will be out on the road, trading places in 20-to-30-minute pulls (one riding, the other in a support vehicle leapfrogging ahead for the exchange to happen). This pair of the four-woman team will ride for four to six hours, while the other pair rests, eats, sleeps, and recovers. It goes 24/7, from the time the gun goes off until we cross the finish line.

From what I hear, mental toughness will be one of the biggest challenges during RAAM. Those who have done it say that, at about day four or five, the sleep deprivation kicks in, and the reality of the Midwest flatlands also hits you. I know there is beauty in rolling plains, but at that point in the race, it may be tough to see it.

During RAAM, the crew is the essential group of people that will get us from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland. The crew chief, Kate Bennett, is in charge of coordinating the drivers, navigators, medics, mechanics, nutrition, making sure we’re on course, and that people— including crew—are getting enough sleep, food, etc. A race with this relay between four racers, moving across the country with an RV, two support vehicles, and 13 crewmembers is quite an undertaking.

The greatest source of inspiration is the PH community. When I think about how hard it may be to be on the bike, mentally or physically, I think about what my patients go through on a daily basis.

I get to choose to ride my bike, to push myself through discomfort. My patients don’t have such a choice. They wake up and live with pulmonary hypertension every day, and face whatever that day may bring, and many do so with such grace. So when I’m feeling less than motivated, I often think of people I know living with PH, and it motivates me to get this job done.

Likewise, in my practice, I am regularly reminded of the need for a cure. I often evaluate patients with pulmonary hypertension in need of a lung transplant. For this group of patients, they often no longer are responding to medications. It is a reminder that, while we have come so far, and many patients do respond to medical therapies, we still need a cure.

In my job, I also conduct PH research, and know firsthand how important funding is to exploring the frontiers in science. It makes it all the more important to me that Team PHenomenal Hope is raising money for PHA to fund grants and help other scientists have funds needed to find a cure.

We have something truly special with our partnership with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. PHA launched a Race of Our Lives campaign, and we have been amazed how people in the community have organized their own Unity events, walking, riding their bikes, doing whatever they can to raise awareness about PH and join us in raising funds to find a cure.

Team PHenomenal Hope is bigger than four of us on bikes, or the 17 of us crossing the country. This is actually a huge team that spans coast-to-coast.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare disease that can affect anyone, from children to adults, men and women, and people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Initially, it is often misdiagnosed as another pulmonary condition, taking on average over a year to make the correct diagnosis and get the proper treatment.

Although it is a rare disease, it is important for doctors to at least think about pulmonary hypertension in their differential diagnosis when faced with a patient with shortness of breath, because without considering it, the diagnosis won’t be made.

Fortunately there are many medical treatments on the market, changing the prognosis for many who have this disease; however there still are people who do not respond to therapy, and to date there is no cure. Team PHenomenal Hope is working with PHA to do something to try to change that.

 

Posted in About Us, Diseases, Featured | Tagged anne marie alderson, bicycle, bicycling, bike, biking, chronic disease, cycling, cystic fibrosis, greta daniels, hiv-pah, hivpah, kate bennett, lung disease, pah, patricia george, patty george, PH, PHA, phenomenal hope, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, pulmonary medicine, pulmonary physiology, raam race, race across america, race of our lives, ryanne palermo, sara harper, stacie truszkowski, steel city endurance, team phenomenal hope, transplant, transplantation | Leave a comment

High Notes

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charlie

New York-based singer, songwriter and musician Chloe Temtchine has won rave reviews and awards for her solo work and collaborations with other top music industry artists. On March 29, 2014, Temtchine’s new song, “Be Brave,” will be released on iTunes, with fifty percent of the proceeds benefiting PHA. Diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2013, Temtchine performs with her oxygen tank, which she has dubbed “Steve Martin,” alongside her. Community spoke with Temtchine about life, music and pulmonary hypertension.

When did you start singing and songwriting? Who and which styles are some of your biggest influences?

I started singing at about the age of six. My father used to take me to a Baptist church in Harlem, on Sundays, where I listened to gospel music for hours. That’s where it all began.

I’ve always had very eclectic taste in music: from artists like Edy Phenomene (French dancehall), to Smokie Norful and Kim Burrell (gospel), to Stevie Wonder and Sam Cooke (R&B/soul), to James Vincent McMorrow and Ray Lamontagne (singers/songwriters), to Eric Reed (jazz). The list could go on forever.

When and how were you first diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension? What were your initial symptoms?

In March 2013, after my cardiologist reviewed an echo and listened to my heart, I was diagnosed with severe pulmonary hypertension and was rushed to the ER. The shortness of breath, lung pain, and fatigue that had started five years previously had become progressively worse, and I had reached a point where I could barely move. Getting to the bathroom was a major accomplishment! Then my heart started beating out of my chest. And then, together with the continued chest pain that accompanied every breath, I suddenly put on 10 pounds of water weight overnight.

What is “Be Brave” about?

After being diagnosed, I found myself spending so much time trying not to die that I had forgotten to live. “Be Brave” is about making the choice to live.

Every time I went to the hospital, I came home feeling that there was very little hope. I realized that if I didn’t shift my consciousness quickly, my condition would continue to get worse.

I’m a big believer that our minds play a huge role in the state of our health. Keeping my mind in the right place is so important to me that I decided to write a song about it. I wanted to remind myself, and anyone else going through a similar experience, that any challenge had the potential to be an opportunity.

What inspires you in songwriting?

I’m much more comfortable expressing myself through song. Music captures the way I feel in a way that words without melody can’t seem to do.

What have you learned in dealing with pulmonary hypertension? What have been some of your biggest challenges, and how have you dealt with them?

Although I would do just about anything not to have pulmonary hypertension, I’ve understood through this process that there are many lessons I’m meant to be learning. I am very grateful for the perspective it has given me with regard to my life.

My biggest challenge was seeing a future when I was told that it was highly unlikely that I would have one. This continues to be my biggest challenge.

What do you think is most important for the newly diagnosed to know about pulmonary hypertension?

For the newly diagnosed, I would say: Surround yourself with positive people who instill hope in you, eat a very healthy diet (plant-based, if possible), go to pulmonary therapy, focus on other people’s success stories, and most importantly, believe that it is possible to get better no matter what you’ve been told.

How does being a singer, musician and songwriter help you deal with pulmonary hypertension?

I think that being inspired and passionate in general is helpful to anyone. I also think that it’s very important to express yourself in order to keep yourself in balance. Through music, I’m able to get out all of the things that I would otherwise potentially keep in.

What is next for you in terms of treatment for PH?

I’m not totally sure at the moment. Because there is a belief that I may have pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in addition to PH, my doctor is going very slowly with the medications, which I’m very grateful for. Lung transplantation has been suggested, and although I’m thankful that it exists as an option, my goal is to stay away from it, if at all possible.

What’s next for you in music?

My next goal in music is to finish writing the album I began when I got out of the critical care unit and to perform as much as possible.

What do you enjoy most about music?

I love that music has always had the ability to completely alter the way I feel. It has helped me be hopeful during very difficult times. I love the idea of creating something that could not only alter my own state, but that also has the potential to alter the state of someone else who may be in need of some state-altering!

—EL

Posted in About Us, Diseases, Featured, Uncategorized | Tagged be brave, chloe temtchine, Lung Transplant, music, PH, PHA, Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease, singing, veno occlusive | 3 Comments

What’s Your Story?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by CVCinfo

We’ve been thrilled with the reaction to our website, and we really enjoy sharing with our many fans on Facebook.   We get to share with you tips for healthy living, breaking news about medical research, and stories of hope and courage.

It is the stories of the people that we’ve helped that have inspired us the most.

We shared the story of Justin, and how his mother has struggled to raise him.  Kindra is like many other moms, married and raising children, but her story has a twist:  In addition to school, groceries, and family, she seeks answers for dealing with Justin’s pachygyria and infantile spasms.  Her story touched us, and led us to the story of Marissa and her father’s chronicle of her life.

We got to tell you about Meghan.  She was 2 when her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease.  As she started college and began to plan her own adult life, she also received a diagnosis of the disease.  Her father’s illness gave her a 50/50 chance of having it herself, and the coin flipped against her.  Meghan didn’t give up, though.  She graduated college and is sharing her story on YouTube and is hosting a concert to spread awareness of her disease.

Roberta has a story like many of the people that we talk to.  She went through months of illness, testing, misdiagnosis, and was finally told that she had Pulmonary Fibrosis.  After reaching several roadblocks in her journey to treatment, she made a right turn and found us on her road.  She still has many hills to cross, but breathes easier knowing that she has an advocate in Caring Voice Coalition.

Matthew went from an active lifestyle to one of uncertainty after a diagnosis of Alpha 1.  Many people commented on his story.  They shared with us their own tales of fear and uncertainty, and of the struggles that they had endured in a quest for treatment.  Matthew’s stories put us back in touch with Steven, whose mother died of Alpha 1.  We became involved with Steven after his own diagnosis, and it was wonderful to help him, to know that he was hanging in there, and we were honored to make a small dent in his life.

Sometimes it’s hard to convey the message in some of our stories.  How does one express a lifetime of chaos, doubt, and failure?  Joyce experienced all of these things in her journey through Narcolepsy.  The comments to our telling of Joyce’s story conveyed the message:  You’re not alone, you’re not crazy, and your perseverance is an inspiration.

We often receive notes and messages from the people that we help that thank us for what we do.  We’re referred to as “angels”, “lifesavers”, and “heroes”.  That is all very flattering but we sometimes come across someone who puts everything into perspective for us.  Such is the case with Dennis.

Dennis is a bona-fide New York City Detective with over 20 years of experience on the beat.  He went from a street cop to an undercover officer, and then received his Detective’s shield.  He was in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 and spent several grueling months at Ground Zero as he and his comrades combed the wreckage for remains.  He was then diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Dennis’s story brought comments, encouragement (and some flirting!), from friends, PH sufferers, and cops with PH.  People heard his story of courage from just across town in Long Island, from all over America, and from as far away as Scotland.

We wonder how many others there are out there like Dennis, Joyce, Matthew, Roberta, Meghan, and Justin?  We’re sure that there are millions of you.  And we plan on continuing to provide a voice for you.  If you’re someone who is currently working with us, or someone who stumbled across our site, we’d love to hear from you.  Contact us and let us share your story.

We empower patients who live with life threatening chronic diseases.  The people in the stories that we’ve shared are the heroes.

Posted in Diseases, Featured, Uncategorized | Tagged Alpha 1, Contact Us, Huntington's, Infantile Spasms, narcolepsy, PF, PH | Leave a comment