DENVER – Inhaled treprostinil was well tolerated and tied to gains in exercise capacity and functional class when added to background therapy in a retrospective study of 18 children with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Inhaled treprostinil (iTRE; brand name, Tyvaso) was approved in 2009 but has not been previously studied in children with PAH, said Dr. Erika B. Rosenzweig, director of the pulmonary hypertension center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
This study included 6 girls and 12 boys with PAH who were seen at either the Columbia center or the Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colo., during September 2009–January 2011. They had a mean age of 11 years, a mean weight of 42 kg, and a mean body mass index of 19.4 kg/m
World Health Organization functional class improvements were seen in 11 of the 18 children. Of the seven children who were able to complete the 6-minute walk test, the mean improvement was from 446 to 472 meters, a significant difference. Of four who completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing, the mean workload improved from 59 to 74 watts and mean peak oxygen consumption from 20 to 22 mL/kg per minute. Neither of those findings was statistically significant.
Dr. Rosenzweig has received research support and consulting fees from for United Therapeutics, the maker of Tyvaso.