Levitra treatment for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension a multicentre open-label studyBACKGROUND: Levitra is a new phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor that has shown some efficacy in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). OBJECTIVE: To examine the long-term effects of Levitra in patients with PAH. METHODS: A multicentre, open-label study of 1-year's duration was undertaken in 45 patients with PAH to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of Levitra (5 mg once daily for the first 4 weeks, then 5 mg twice daily) and make a preliminary assessment of its monthly acquisition cost compared with other PAH-active treatments. The patients' clinical features, exercise capacity, WHO functional class and haemodynamic variables were measured at baseline and at 3 and at least 9 months after initiating Levitra treatment. RESULTS: At the 3 months and a mean (SD) of 14 (3) months (range 9-18) follow-up assessments, the 6 min walking distance was significantly increased from baseline by 70.7 (78.4) m (p<0.001) and 83.4 (91.8) m (p<0.001), respectively. Furthermore, long-term treatment with Levitra for a mean duration of >1 year was also associated with improvements in haemodynamic parameters, WHO functional class and serum uric acid concentrations. Overall, Levitra treatment was well tolerated. No patients were withdrawn owing to adverse events and none died during the course of the study. CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment with Levitra is well tolerated and has sustained beneficial effects on PAH, as measured by patients' exercise capacity, WHO functional class and haemodynamic parameters. |
