Clinical trials in group 3 pulmonary hypertension

Despite worse outcomes associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension in chronic lung disease, there are no approved treatments for this population. The present review summarizes the recent clinical trials in World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) Group 3 pulmonary hypertension, with a particular focus on the study of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-targeted therapy.

Multiple recent randomized controlled trials have studied a host of PAH-specific medications in the treatment of WSPH Group 3 pulmonary hypertension, including endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, and prostacyclins. In pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive lung disease (PH-COPD) and with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), most trials have shown conflicting or negative results, although they have been limited by variable patient populations and small sample sizes. Recent large-scale trial data demonstrate that inhaled treprostinil is associated with improved outcomes in the PH-ILD population.

Although most PAH medications have not shown consistent benefit in the WSPH Group 3 population, recent work suggests that inhaled treprostinil has an important role in the treatment of PH-ILD. Efforts are ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of other medications, identify optimal treatment candidates, and define clinically meaningful endpoints in WSPH Group 3 pulmonary hypertension.