What the trial was testing
The STERIO-SCD enrolled 130 patients with sickle cell disease. The study was sponsored by Mark Gladwin and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Riociguat lowered blood pressure by 8 mm Hg more than placebo without worsening pain crises.
The Lancet. Haematology · 2024 · NCT02633397
These findings — that riociguat lowered blood pressure significantly more than placebo over 12 weeks — were published in the The Lancet. Haematology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 130 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with sickle cell disease, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment was safe and effectively lowered blood pressure in sickle cell patients — an important finding because earlier research raised concerns about blood pressure drugs making pain crises worse. This is an early-stage study, so the drug is not yet FDA-approved for this use. Ask your doctor about ongoing trials or other blood pressure options.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open sickle cell disease trials
Sickle-cell Disease Registry of the GPOH
Sickle cell disease is one of the most common hereditary diseases. Most severe complications can be avoided if the disease is detected early and treated appropriately. The sickle cell disease registry of the Society for Paediatric Oncology/Haematology aims at describing the epidemiology of sickle cell disease in German-speaking central Europe. Patients with sickle cell disease will be characterized clinically and genetically and treatment will be documented with the aim to find predictors of the course of disease. In addition, the registry results should provide a solid evidence base to incorporate sickle cell disease into routine newborn screening and to update the national guidelines for the management of patients suffering from sickle cell disease in Germany. A consortium of five university hospitals (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Ulm) has been mandated by the Society for Paediatric Oncology/Haematology to implement this registry. The number of participating centers is constantly increasing and new centers that take care of either pediatric or adult patients with sickle cell disease are encouraged to support the registry. For further information please refer to: http://www.sichelzellkrankheit.info/
Promoting Utilization and Safety of Hydroxyurea Using Precision in Africa
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is among the world's most common and devastating blood disorders, affecting more than 300,000 newborns per year. Most infants with SCA are born in the low-resource settings of sub- Saharan Africa, where an estimated 50-90% will die before 5 years of age due to lack of early diagnosis and appropriate care. Hydroxyurea is a safe and effective once-daily oral medication that has become the standard of care for the treatment of children with SCA in high-resource settings. There is now a growing body of evidence to support the safety and clinical benefits of hydroxyurea for the treatment of SCA in sub-Saharan Africa. The requirement for frequent laboratory monitoring, uncertainties about appropriate, most effective dosing, and the concern for hematologic laboratory toxicities, however, will continue to limit widespread hydroxyurea utilization and real-world effectiveness. The investigators have recently developed and prospectively evaluated an individualized, pharmacokinetics-guided hydroxyurea dosing strategy for children with SCA that has demonstrated optimal clinical and laboratory benefits with minimal toxicity. In this research study, the investigators aim to extend this precision medicine approach to Africa.