Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the arteries to the lungs. It can stem from heart or lung disease, blood clots, or unknown causes. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and may include medications that widen blood vessels, diuretics, oxygen, and in severe cases lung transplant.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing combinations of existing vasodilators, newer drugs targeting different pathways in the blood vessel wall, and treatments for forms of pulmonary hypertension caused by left heart disease where options have been limited. Researchers are also studying exercise programs, earlier diagnosis methods, and whether treating the right ventricle directly can improve outcomes.
Combination therapy
Studies are testing whether using three medications together—each targeting a different pathway—works better than the current approach of adding drugs one at a time. Early results suggest some people respond better to upfront combination treatment.
Left heart disease treatments
Most pulmonary hypertension drugs are approved only for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rarer form. Trials are now testing whether some of these medications help people whose pulmonary hypertension comes from left heart failure.
Sotatercept
This drug works differently from existing medications by rebalancing growth signals in blood vessel walls. FDA approved it in 2024 for pulmonary arterial hypertension after trials showed it improved exercise capacity and slowed disease progression.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on pulmonary hypertension type and severity, current medications, exercise capacity measured by six-minute walk distance, and whether other heart or lung conditions are present.
What types of trials are currently open
- Drug trials — Testing new vasodilators or combinations of existing drugs to see if they improve exercise capacity, symptoms, and survival.
- Device trials — Studying implanted devices that create a small opening between heart chambers to relieve pressure, mostly for people who don't respond to medications.
- Exercise studies — Testing whether supervised exercise or rehabilitation programs are safe and helpful for people with pulmonary hypertension.
- Diagnostic studies — Evaluating imaging techniques or biomarkers that might catch pulmonary hypertension earlier or predict who will respond to which treatment.
- Registry studies — Following large groups of people with pulmonary hypertension over time to learn what affects outcomes and quality of life.
Recently added Pulmonary Hypertension trials
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Active Health Cohort Study
This is a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study. Study participants will first be enrolled into the general population main cohort, and some eligible subjects will be invited to participate in a validation study for the consistency of estimated VO₂max. The overall study consists of the establishment of the main cohort and three major research modules: cardiovascular endpoint risk prediction, early warning of exercise-related cardiovascular event risk, and health reminder and behavioral feedback. In addition, a substudy is designed to enroll 300 patients with stable metabolic cardiovascular disease, aiming to verify the consistency between wearable-device-estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and the gold standard of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), so as to evaluate the applicability and error structure of the device-estimated parameters in clinical populations.
The Effect of Levosimendan on Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Right Ventricular Function in the Perioperative Period in Patients With CTEPH After Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy
A single-center pilot prospective randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial. Study objective - to investigate the efficacy and safety of levosimendan in patients in the perioperative period following pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Research Objectives: 1. To assess the impact of levosimendan administration on pulmonary artery pressure during the perioperative period in patients who have undergone pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH. 2. To evaluate the effect of levosimendan administration on right ventricular function parameters during the perioperative period in patients after pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH. 3. To determine the influence of levosimendan on the need for inotropic and vasopressor support (VIS) during the perioperative period in patients following pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH. 4. To examine the effect of levosimendan on the clinical course and complications during the postoperative period in patients after pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH. 5. To evaluate the cardioprotective effect of levosimendan in patients following pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH. 6. To assess the impact of levosimendan on in-hospital mortality in patients after pulmonary endarterectomy for CTEPH.
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