Selexipag treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease after defect correction: insights from the randomised controlled GRIPHON study.

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH) after defect correction have a poor prognosis compared with other CHD-PAH patients. Therefore, it is important that these patients are treated as early and effectively as possible. Evidence supporting the use of PAH therapies in patients with corrected CHD-PAH from randomised controlled trials is limited. The purpose of these analyses was to characterise the corrected CHD-PAH patients from the GRIPHON study and examine the response to selexipag. Out of the 110 patients diagnosed with corrected CHD-PAH, 55 had atrial septal defects, 38 had ventricular septal defects, 14 had persistent ducti arteriosus, and 3 had defects not further specified. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the primary composite endpoint were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models. Compared with the non-CHD patients from GRIPHON, patients with corrected CHD-PAH were slightly younger, with a greater proportion being treatment-naive and in World Health Organization functional class I/II. The rate of the primary composite endpoint of morbidity/mortality was lower in patients with corrected CHD-PAH who were treated with selexipag compared with those treated with placebo (HR 0.58; 95% CI 0.25, 1.37). The most common adverse events were those known to be related to selexipag. These post-hoc analyses of GRIPHON provide valuable information about a large population of patients with corrected CHD-PAH, and suggest that selexipag may delay disease progression and was well-tolerated in patients with corrected CHD-PAH

Selexipag treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease after defect correction: insights from the randomised controlled GRIPHON study

Aims: Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH) after defect correction have a poor prognosis compared with other CHD-PAH patients. Therefore, it is important that these patients are treated as early and effectively as possible. Evidence supporting the use of PAH therapies in patients with corrected CHD-PAH from randomised controlled trials is limited. The purpose of these analyses was to characterise the corrected CHD-PAH patients from the GRIPHON study and examine the response to selexipag. Methods and results: Out of the 110 patients diagnosed with corrected CHD-PAH, 55 had atrial septal defects, 38 had ventricular septal defects, 14 had persistent ducti arteriosus, and 3 had defects not further specified. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the primary composite endpoint were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models. Compared with the non-CHD patients from GRIPHON, patients with corrected CHD-PAH were slightly younger, with a greater proportion being treatment-naive and in World Health Organization functional class I/II. The rate of the primary composite endpoint of morbidity/mortality was lower in patients with corrected CHD-PAH who were treated with selexipag compared with those treated with placebo (HR 0.58; 95% CI 0.25, 1.37). The most common adverse events were those known to be related to selexipag. Conclusions: These post-hoc analyses of GRIPHON provide valuable information about a large population of patients with corrected CHD-PAH, and suggest that selexipag may delay disease progression and was well-tolerated in patients with corrected CHD-PAH

Association of CYP2C9*2 With Bosentan-Induced Liver Injury

Bosentan (Tracleer) is an endothelin receptor antagonist prescribed for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Its use is limited by drug-induced liver injury (DILI). To identify genetic markers of DILI, association analyses were performed on 56 Caucasian PAH patients receiving bosentan. Twelve functional polymorphisms in five genes (ABCB11, ABCC2, CYP2C9, SLCO1B1, and SLCO1B3) implicated in bosentan pharmacokinetics were tested for associations with alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and DILI. After adjusting for body mass index, CYP2C9*2 was the only polymorphism associated with ALT, AST, and DILI (β = 2.16, P = 0.024; β = 1.92, P = 0.016; odds ratio 95% CI = 2.29-∞, P = 0.003, respectively). Bosentan metabolism by CYP2C9*2 in vitro was significantly reduced compared with CYP2C9*1 and was comparable to that by CYP2C9*3. These results suggest that CYP2C9*2 is a potential genetic marker for prediction of bosentan-induced liver injury and warrants investigation for the optimization of bosentan treatment