Sitaxsentan Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Sitaxsentan may benefit patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension by blocking the vasoconstrictor effects of endothelin-A while maintaining the vasodilator/clearance functions of endothelin-B receptors. Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension that was idiopathic, related to connective tissue disease or congenital heart disease, were randomized to receive placebo (n = 60), sitaxsentan 100 mg (n = 55), or sitaxsentan 300 mg (n = 63) orally once daily for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in peak V̇O ₂ at Week 12. Secondary endpoints included 6-minute walk, New York Heart Association class, V̇O₂ at anaerobic threshold, V̇E per carbon dioxide production at anaerobic threshold, hemodynamics, quality of life, and time to clinical worsening. Although the 300-mg group increased peak V̇O₂ compared with placebo (+3.1%, p < 0.01), none of the other endpoints derived from cardiopulmonary exercise testing were met. However, both the 100-mg dose and the 300-mg dose, compared with placebo, increased 6-minute walk distance (100 mg: +35 m, p < 0.01; 300 mg: +33 m, p < 0.01) ; functional class, cardiac index, and pulmonary vascular resistance also improved (p < 0.02 for each parameter at both doses). The incidence of elevated amlnotransferase values (> three times normal) was 3% for the placebo group, 0% for the 100-mg group, and 10% for the 300-mg group.