• Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• PPH Symptoms
• PPH Diagnosis
• PPH Causes
• PPH Treatment
  • Ambrisentan
  • Tracleer
  • Flolan
  • Remodulin
  • Prostacyclin
  • Lung Transplants
  • Thelin
• Diet Drugs and PPH
• Legal Remedies for PPH

Remodulin Treatment For Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, Remodulin PPH Treatment

Remodulin (known as UT-15 or treprostinil sodium) is a vasodilator drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of PPH, primary pulmonary hypertension. Remodulin is a synthetic form of prostacyclin that is produced and marketed by United Therapeutics, Inc. Primary pulmonary hypertension occurs when the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, the large artery carrying blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs, becomes abnormally high. During PPH, blood vessels in the lungs narrow, restricting blood flow to lung tissue. The restriction of lung blood flow causes a backpressure in the heart so that less oxygen gets into the blood and the right ventricle of the heart becomes overworked.

Remodulin Benefits

Remodulin is a form of prostacyclin and belongs to a group of agents in the body called prostaglandins. Remodulin is a potent vasodilator that benefits the patient by relaxing blood vessels in the lungs and slowing the process of cell growth and scarring in the lung vessels. This action prevents further narrowing of the lung vessels and increases the amount of oxygen saturation of the blood. Remodulin treatment increases cardiac output, improves exercise tolerance and prolongs survival in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. Remodulin can be used as a bridge to extend lives of PPH patients while awaiting lung transplants, or it can be an alternative to lung transplantation.

Remodulin Treatment

Remodulin is administered subcutaneously. This subcutaneous infusion works through a cannula connected to a pager-sized mini pump. The cannula is normally placed in the abdomen area and the pump is worn on the belt. A spring-loaded device is used to place the cannula in the abdominal region. The drug can last up to 6 hours after each injection, so it is not injected continuously into the blood stream, but under the skin. The drug then diffuses into the blood stream from the area of the cannula. Remodulin is a synthetic drug and thus has a long shelf life, lasting about 5 years. To prepare the drug for treatment, a syringe is used to remove Remodulin from the drug vile and place it in the drug cassette inside the pump. As a synthetic drug, no refrigeration is needed. Every three days or so, a new location in the abdominal region is selected to insert the cannula.

Remodulin Side Effects

Remodulin side effects include those for other vasodilator, such as headache, flushing, jaw pain, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. The most pronounced side effect of Remodulin is pain associated with the insertion and presence of the cannula under the skin. A separate pain reliever prescription may be needed to ease the pain associated with the cannula.

Remodulin Cost

Remodulin is considered a prescription drug for the treatment of PPH and is subject to the standard co-pay pricing schedules of insurance companies and Medicare.

Remodulin Versus Flolan

Flolan is a natural form of prostacyclin (epoprostenol). As a natural biological agent, Flolan has to be mixed each day and refrigerated. Flolan has similar beneficial vasodilator effects as Remodulin along with similar side effects. Flolan vasodilator effects last only a few minutes after each injection, while Remodulin's effects last hours. As such, Flolan requires continuous infusion directly into the blood stream, while Remodulin is injected under the skin (subcutaneous) in the abdomen. Flolan requires the surgical insertion of a catheter into a vein in the chest and this location does not change over time. Conversely, the location of the cannula used for Remodulin injection must be moved every three days or so. There can be considerable pain associated with the insertion and relocation of the cannula. The PPH patient may require a prescription to relieve this pain. Finally, Remodulin is considered a prescription drug as opposed to treatment, and is thus paid differently by insurance companies and Medicare.

Remodulin Versus Tracleer

Tracleer (bosentan) is the most recent drug approved by the FDA for treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension. It is taken orally, and thus does not require a pump like Flolan or Remodulin. Tracleer is also a potent vasodilator, but it works through a different mechanism and is not a form of prostacyclin. Although the oral ingestion of the drug is more convenient, the side effect for Tracleer can be more significant than those of Flolan and Remodulin. The side effects include potential liver damage and can be harmful to fetuses.

Last Revision: December 18, 2007

MediaFact is a noteworthy Internet resource about drug side effects connected with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.