Riociguat: a novel new drug for treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Riociguat is the first approved medication from the novel class of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators and the only agent approved for treating both chronic thromboembolic hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The novel mechanism of riociguat lies in its ability to restore the homeostatic and therapeutic effects of nitric oxide that are diminished as a result of phenotypic alterations associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Improvements in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in patients with PAH during the phase 3 PATENT-1 trial were comparable to other oral agents approved for the treatment of PAH.

Reproducibility of the 6-minute walk test for ambulatory oxygen prescription.

Background: Ambulatory oxygen is frequently prescribed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have oxygen desaturation
Objective: The aim of this study was to establish the reproducibility of the 6MWT in determining the need for ambulatory oxygen prescription in stable COPD patients using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) criteria for ambulatory oxygen prescription.

Brief communication: severe hepatotoxicity of telithromycin: three case reports and literature review.

Background: Telithromycin is a ketolide antibiotic approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for acute bacterial infections causing sinusitis, bronchitis, and community-acquired pneumonia.