A genotype-directed comparative effectiveness trial of Bucindolol and metoprolol succinate for prevention of symptomatic atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter in patients with heart failure: Rationale and design of the GENETIC-AF trial.

BACKGROUND: Few therapies are available for the safe and effective treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure. Bucindolol is a non-selective beta-blocker with mild vasodilator activity previously found to have accentuated antiarrhythmic effects and increased efficacy for preventing heart failure events in patients homozygous for the major allele of the ADRB1 Arg389Gly polymorphism (ADRB1 Arg389Arg genotype). The safety and efficacy of bucindolol for the prevention of AF or atrial flutter (AFL) in these patients has not been proven in randomized trials. METHODS/DESIGN: The Genotype-Directed Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Bucindolol and Metoprolol Succinate for Prevention of Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation/Atrial Flutter in Patients with Heart Failure (GENETIC-AF) trial is a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded "seamless" phase 2B/3 trial of bucindolol hydrochloride versus metoprolol succinate, for the prevention of symptomatic AF/AFL in patients with reduced ejection fraction heart failure (HFrEF). Patients with pre-existing HFrEF and recent history of symptomatic AF are eligible for enrollment and genotype screening, and if they are ADRB1 Arg389Arg, eligible for randomization. A total of approximately 200 patients will comprise the phase 2B component and if pre-trial assumptions are met, 620 patients will be randomized at approximately 135 sites to form the Phase 3 population. The primary endpoint is the time to recurrence of symptomatic AF/AFL or mortality over a 24-week follow-up period, and the trial will continue until 330 primary endpoints have occurred. CONCLUSIONS: GENETIC-AF is the first randomized trial of pharmacogenetic guided rhythm control, and will test the safety and efficacy of bucindolol compared with metoprolol succinate for the prevention of recurrent symptomatic AF/AFL in patients with HFrEF and an ADRB1 Arg389Arg genotype. (ClinicalTrials.govNCT01970501).

Orally Inhaled Flecainide for Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation to Sinus Rhythm: INSTANT Phase 2 Trial.

BACKGROUND: INSTANT (INhalation of flecainide to convert recent-onset SympTomatic Atrial fibrillatioN to sinus rhyThm) was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm study of flecainide acetate oral inhalation solution (FlecIH) for acute conversion of recent-onset (≤48 hours) symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the efficacy and safety in 98 patients receiving a single dose of FlecIH delivered via oral inhalation. METHODS: Patients self-administered FlecIH over 8 minutes in a supervised medical setting using a breath-actuated nebulizer and were continuously monitored for 90 minutes using a 12-lead Holter. RESULTS: Mean age was 60.5 years, mean body mass index was 27.0 kg/m2, and 34.7% of the patients were women. All patients had ≥1 AF-related symptoms at baseline, and 87.8% had AF symptoms for ≤24 hours. The conversion rate was 42.6% (95% CI: 33.0%-52.6%) with a median time to conversion of 14.6 minutes. The conversion rate was 46.9% (95% CI: 36.4%-57.7%) in a subpopulation that excluded predose flecainide exposure for the current AF episode. Median time to discharge among patients who converted was 2.5 hours, and only 2 patients had experienced AF recurrence by day 5. In the conversion-no group, 44 (81.5%) patients underwent electrical cardioversion by day 5. The most common adverse events were related to oral inhalation of flecainide (eg, cough, oropharyngeal irritation/pain), which were mostly of mild intensity and limited duration. CONCLUSIONS: The risk-benefit of orally inhaled FlecIH for acute cardioversion of recent-onset AF appears favorable. FlecIH could provide a safe, effective, and convenient first-line therapeutic option. (INhalation of Flecainide to Convert Recent Onset SympTomatic Atrial Fibrillation to siNus rhyThm [INSTANT]; NCT03539302).

Dose-limiting, adverse event-associated bradycardia with ß-blocker treatment of atrial fibrillation in the GENETIC-AF trial.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often have conduction system disorders, which may be worsened by ß-blocker therapy. OBJECTIVE: In a post hoc analysis we examined the prevalence of bradycardia and its association with adverse events (AEs) and failure to achieve target dose in the GENETIC-AF trial. METHODS: Patients randomized to metoprolol (n = 125) or bucindolol (n = 131) entering 24-week efficacy follow-up and receiving study medication were evaluated. Bradycardia was defined as an electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate (HR) <60 beats per minute (bpm) and severe bradycardia <50 bpm. RESULTS: Mean HR in sinus rhythm (SR) was 62.6 ± 12.5 bpm for metoprolol and 68.3 ± 11.1 bpm for bucindolol (P < .0001), but in AF HRs were not different (87.5 bpm vs 89.7 bpm, respectively). Episodes per patient for bucindolol vs metoprolol were 0.82 vs 2.08 (P < .001) for bradycardia and 0.24 vs 0.57 for severe bradycardia (P < .001), with 98.9% of the episodes occurring in SR. Patients experiencing bradycardia had a 4.15-fold higher prevalence of study medication dose reduction (P <.0001) compared to patients without bradycardia. Fewer patients receiving metoprolol were at target dose (61.7% vs 74.9% for bucindolol, P < .0001) at ECG recordings, and bradycardia AEs were more prevalent in the metoprolol group (13 vs 1 for bucindolol, P = .001). On multivariate analysis of 21 candidate bradycardia predictors including presence of a device with pacing capability, bucindolol treatment was associated with the greatest degree of prevention (Zodds ratio -4.24, P < .0001). CONCLUSION: In AF-prone HF patients bradycardia may limit the effectiveness of ß blockers, and this property is agent-dependent.

Bucindolol Decreases Atrial Fibrillation Burden in Patients With Heart Failure and the ADRB1 Arg389Arg Genotype.

[Figure: see text].

Effect of steady-state ambrisentan on the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of the oral contraceptive norethindrone (norethisterone) 1 mg/ethinylestradiol 35 microg in healthy subjects: an open-label, single-sequence, single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Ambrisentan is an oral, once-daily endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) that is approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Pregnancy is not recommended for women of childbearing potential with PAH, due to an increased risk of mortality. Additionally, the ERA class is teratogenic in animal studies. A highly effective method of contraception is therefore strongly recommended for women of childbearing potential who are treated with an ERA for PAH. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of ambrisentan on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of the oral contraceptive norethindrone (norethisterone) 1 mg/ethinylestradiol 35 microg (NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg). METHODS: The study was an open-label, single-sequence, PK study designed to assess the effect of multiple doses of ambrisentan (Letairis; Volibris) on the PK of a single oral dose of NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg (Ortho-Novum 1/35) in a single clinical research centre in the US. The study included 28 healthy female subjects in general good health, aged 18-45 years, and who had a body mass index of 18.5-29.9 kg/m2. A single oral dose of NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg was administered on day 1. On day 10, following a wash-out period, fasted subjects received once-daily 10 mg doses of ambrisentan for 12 days. On day 22, a single oral dose of NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg and a single 10 mg oral dose of ambrisentan were coadministered; thereafter, subjects continued to receive once-daily oral doses of ambrisentan 10 mg on days 23 through 26. The primary PK endpoints included maximum observed plasma drug concentration (C(max)), time to reach C(max) (t(max)), and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to the time of last measurable concentration (AUC(last)). RESULTS: Ethinylestradiol C(max) was slightly decreased (geometric mean ratio [GMR] 91.7%; 90% CI 86.1, 97.8) and AUC(last) was similar (GMR 99.1%; 90% CI 91.0, 107.9) in the presence of ambrisentan compared with NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg. Norethindrone C(max) (GMR 113.2%; 90% CI 102.4, 125.1) and AUC(last) (GMR 112.9%; 90% CI 104.9, 121.6) were slightly increased in the presence of ambrisentan. The 90% CIs were within the pre-defined no-effect boundaries for all PK parameters, except for the C(max) of norethindrone, which was slightly above the upper limit of 125%. No safety concerns were apparent with the coadministration of NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg and ambrisentan. CONCLUSION: No dose adjustment of the oral contraceptive NT 1 mg/EE 35 microg is warranted with the coadministration of ambrisentan.

Effects of rifampicin (rifampin) on the pharmacokinetics and safety of ambrisentan in healthy subjects: a single-sequence, open-label study.

BACKGROUND: Ambrisentan is a once-daily, endothelin (ET) type A receptor-selective antagonist approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Ambrisentan is primarily metabolized by glucuronidation and undergoes cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated oxidation to a lesser extent. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of rifampicin (rifampin), a potent inducer of CYP3A4 and inhibitor of organic anion transporter polypeptides (OATPs), on the steady-state pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of ambrisentan. METHODS: This was a 14-day, single-sequence, open-label study that was conducted in 24 healthy adults. Subjects were administered oral doses of ambrisentan (10 mg) once daily on days 1 through 5 and were then co-administered ambrisentan (10 mg) plus rifampicin (600 mg) once daily on days 6 through 13. The steady-state pharmacokinetics of ambrisentan and its oxidative metabolite 4-hydroxymethyl ambrisentan were determined in the absence and presence of repeated administration of rifampicin. The main outcome measure was the analysis of ambrisentan pharmacokinetics (area under the plasma concentration-time curve during a dosage interval [AUC(τ)], maximum plasma drug concentration [C(max)] and minimum plasma drug concentration [C(min)]) for steady-state ambrisentan alone (day 5) as compared with steady-state ambrisentan plus steady-state rifampicin (day 13). Adverse events (AEs), ECG recordings, vital signs and clinical laboratory parameters were monitored throughout the study and at follow-up. RESULTS: A transient increase (+87% [95% CI 79, 95]) in ambrisentan steady-state systemic exposure (AUC(τ)) was observed during the first 2 days of rifampicin co-administration. However, in the presence of steady-state rifampicin, ambrisentan C(max) and AUC(τ) values were similar (+2% [95% CI -7, 12] and -4% [-9, 2], respectively) to those observed for ambrisentan alone. Relative systemic exposure of 4-hydroxymethyl ambrisentan was unaffected by either acute or steady-state rifampicin. No serious AEs or AEs leading to withdrawal were reported and there were no clinically significant changes in vital signs, ECG recordings or clinical laboratory parameters with co-administration of ambrisentan and rifampicin. CONCLUSION: Steady-state rifampicin had no clinically relevant effects on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of ambrisentan. The overall safety profile of ambrisentan was similar in the presence and absence of rifampicin. No dose adjustment of ambrisentan should be required when it is co-administered with rifampicin, a strong inducer of CYP3A4 activity and inhibitor of OATPs.

Ambrisentan for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension: results of the ambrisentan in pulmonary arterial hypertension, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, efficacy (ARIES) study 1 and 2.

BACKGROUND: Ambrisentan is a propanoic acid-based, A-selective endothelin receptor antagonist for the once-daily treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ambrisentan in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter, Efficacy Study 1 and 2 (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2) were concurrent, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies that randomized 202 and 192 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, respectively, to placebo or ambrisentan (ARIES-1, 5 or 10 mg; ARIES-2, 2.5 or 5 mg) orally once daily for 12 weeks. The primary end point for each study was change in 6-minute walk distance from baseline to week 12. Clinical worsening, World Health Organization functional class, Short Form-36 Health Survey score, Borg dyspnea score, and B-type natriuretic peptide plasma concentrations also were assessed. In addition, a long-term extension study was performed. The 6-minute walk distance increased in all ambrisentan groups; mean placebo-corrected treatment effects were 31 m (P=0.008) and 51 m (P<0.001) in ARIES-1 for 5 and 10 mg ambrisentan, respectively, and 32 m (P=0.022) and 59 m (P<0.001) in ARIES-2 for 2.5 and 5 mg ambrisentan, respectively. Improvements in time to clinical worsening (ARIES-2), World Health Organization functional class (ARIES-1), Short Form-36 score (ARIES-2), Borg dyspnea score (both studies), and B-type natriuretic peptide (both studies) were observed. No patient treated with ambrisentan developed aminotransferase concentrations >3 times the upper limit of normal. In 280 patients completing 48 weeks of treatment with ambrisentan monotherapy, the improvement from baseline in 6-minute walk at 48 weeks was 39 m. CONCLUSIONS: Ambrisentan improves exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Improvements were observed for several secondary end points in each of the studies, although statistical significance was more variable. Ambrisentan is well tolerated and is associated with a low risk of aminotransferase abnormalities.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in combination with ambrisentan in healthy volunteers.

AIMS: Ambrisentan is an oral, propanoic acid-based endothelin receptor antagonist often co-administered with warfarin to patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for ambrisentan to affect warfarin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. METHODS: In this open-label cross-over study, 22 healthy subjects received a single dose of racemic warfarin 25 mg alone and after 8 days of ambrisentan 10 mg once daily. Assessments included exposure (AUC(0-last)) and maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) for R- and S-warfarin, and International Normalized Ratio maximum observed value (INR(max)) and area under the curve (INR(AUC(0-last))). The effects of warfarin on ambrisentan steady-state pharmacokinetics and the safety of ambrisentan/warfarin co-administration were assessed. Data are presented as geometric mean ratios. RESULTS: Ambrisentan had no significant effects on the AUC(0-last) of R-warfarin [104.7; 90% confidence interval (CI) 101.7, 107.7) or S-warfarin (101.6; 90% CI 98.4, 105.0). Similarly, ambrisentan had no significant effects on the C(max) of R-warfarin (91.6; 90% CI 86.2, 97.4) or S-warfarin (89.9; 90% CI 84.8, 95.3). Consistent with these observations, little pharmacodynamic change was observed for INR(max) (85.3; 90% CI 82.4, 88.2) or INR(AUC(0-last)) (93.0; 90% CI 90.8, 95.3). In addition, co-administration of warfarin did not alter ambrisentan steady-state pharmacokinetics. Adverse events were infrequent, and there were no bleeding adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple doses of ambrisentan had no clinically relevant effects on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a single dose of warfarin. Therefore, significant dose adjustments of either drug are unlikely to be required with co-administration.

Bucindolol for the Maintenance of Sinus Rhythm in a Genotype-Defined HF Population: The GENETIC-AF Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of bucindolol with that of metoprolol succinate for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in a genetically defined heart failure (HF) population with atrial fibrillation (AF). BACKGROUND: Bucindolol is a beta-blocker whose unique pharmacologic properties provide greater benefit in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who have the beta1-adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) Arg389Arg genotype. METHODS: A total of 267 HFrEF patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <0.50, symptomatic AF, and the ADRB1 Arg389Arg genotype were randomized 1:1 to receive bucindolol or metoprolol therapy and were up-titrated to target doses. The primary endpoint of AF or atrial flutter (AFL) or all-cause mortality (ACM) was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG) during a 24-week period. RESULTS: The hazard ratio (HR) for the primary endpoint was 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71 to 1.42), but trends for bucindolol benefit were observed in several subgroups. Precision therapeutic phenotyping revealed that a differential response to bucindolol was associated with the interval of time from the initial diagnoses of AF and HF to randomization and with the onset of AF relative to that of the initial HF diagnosis. In a cohort whose first AF and HF diagnoses were <12 years prior to randomization, in which AF onset did not precede HF by more than 2 years (n = 196), the HR was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.33 to 0.87; p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacogenetically guided bucindolol therapy did not reduce the recurrence of AF/AFL or ACM compared to that of metoprolol therapy in HFrEF patients, but populations were identified who merited further investigation in future phase 3 trials.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of ambrisentan in combination with sildenafil in healthy volunteers.

The pharmacokinetic interaction between sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, and ambrisentan, an ET(A)-selective, propanoic acid-based endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA), was studied in a 2-period crossover study in 19 healthy volunteers, with ambrisentan exposure (AUC(0-infinity)) and maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) determined over 24 hours for a 10-mg dose of ambrisentan alone and again after 7 days of sildenafil 20 mg 3 times daily. The AUC(0-infinity) and C(max) for sildenafil and N-desmethyl sildenafil (active metabolite) were determined over 24 hours for a 20-mg dose of sildenafil alone and again after 7 days of dosing with ambrisentan 10 mg once daily. There was no clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interaction between ambrisentan and sildenafil or N-desmethyl sildenafil. Ambrisentan C(max) was unchanged (96.3% [90% confidence interval: 86.0%-107.8%]), with a minor increase in AUC(0-infinity) (108.5% [102.6%-111.7%]) with sildenafil coadministration. Sildenafil C(max) was increased slightly (113.4% [99.6%-129.1%]), and AUC(0-infinity) was unchanged (98.7% [91.2%-110.5%]) with ambrisentan coadministration. N-desmethyl sildenafil was unaltered. Dose adjustment of either drug is not necessary compared with administration alone.

Baseline and follow-up 6-min walk distance and brain natriuretic peptide predict 2-year mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels at baseline and after initiation of treatment have been associated with survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Our objective was to determine the individual and additive ability of pretreatment and posttreatment 6MWD and BNP to discriminate 2-year survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS: We included patients enrolled in two randomized clinical trials of ambrisentan who had 2-year follow-up (N 5 370). 6MWD and BNP were assessed before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to identify optimal cutoffs that defi ned subgroups with a high 2-year mortality. Classifi cation and regression tree analysis was used to determine the incremental prognostic value of combined assessments. RESULTS: 6MWD at baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy were similarly discriminatory of 2-year survival (c-statistics 5 0.77 [95% CI 0.70-0.84] and 0.82 [95% CI 0.75-0.88], respectively), whereas change in 6MWD from baseline to week 12 was not discriminating. The same observation was true of BNP at baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy (c-statistics 5 0.68 [95% CI 0.60-0.76] and 0.74 [95% CI 0.66-0.82], respectively). After consideration of baseline 6MWD, there was no prognostic information added by the week 12 6MWD or BNP at either time point. CONCLUSIONS: 6MWD and BNP values at baseline or week 12 identifi ed a population with an elevated risk of death at 2 years. A repeat assessment of 6MWD or BNP after 12 weeks of ambrisentan therapy did not provide additional prognostic information beyond that obtained from baseline values.

Clinical pharmacokinetics and drug-drug interactions of endothelin receptor antagonists in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The authors review the basic pharmacology and potential for adverse drug-drug interactions (DDIs) of bosentan and ambrisentan, the 2 endothelin receptor antagonists currently approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment. Bosentan, an endothelin (ET) receptor-type ET(A) and ET(B) antagonist, is metabolized to active metabolites by and an inducer of cytochrome P450 (CYP)2C9 and CYP3A. Ambrisentan, a selective ET(A) receptor antagonist, is metabolized primarily by uridine 5'diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A9S, 2B7S, and 1A3S and, to a lesser extent, by CYP3A and CYP2C19. Drug interactions observed with bosentan DDI studies have demonstrated a potential for significant clinical implications during PAH management: bosentan is contraindicated with cyclosporine A and glyburide, and additional monitoring/dose adjustments are required when coadministered with hormonal contraceptives, simvastatin, lopinavir/ritonavir, and rifampicin. As bosentan carries a boxed warning regarding risks of liver injury and showed dose-dependant increases in serum aminotransferase abnormalities, drug interactions that increase bosentan exposure are of particular clinical concern. Ambrisentan DDI studies performed to date have shown only one clinically relevant DDI, an interaction with cyclosporine A that requires ambrisentan dose reduction. As the treatment of PAH moves toward multimodal combination therapy, scrutiny should be placed on ensuring that drug combinations achieve maximal clinical benefit while minimizing side effects.

ARIES-3: ambrisentan therapy in a diverse population of patients with pulmonary hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Ambrisentan is an oral, once daily, endothelin receptor antagonist approved for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Previous studies of ambrisentan were limited to patients with Group 1 PAH and often excluded patients receiving other pulmonary hypertension (PH) therapies. AIMS: ARIES-3 was an open-label study evaluating efficacy and safety of ambrisentan in patients with various PH etiologies and background PH medications. Patients received 5 mg ambrisentan once daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) at week 24. RESULTS: A total of 224 patients with PH due to idiopathic and familial PAH (31%), connective tissue disease (18%), chronic hypoxemia (22%), chronic thromboembolic disease (13%), or other etiologies (16%) were enrolled and 53% of patients received stable background PAH therapies. After 24 weeks of therapy, an increase in 6MWD (+21 m; 95% CI: 12-29) and a decrease in B-type natriuretic peptide (-26%; 95% CI: -34 to -16%) was observed in the overall population compared to baseline; however, increases in 6MWD were not observed in several non-Group 1 PH subpopulations. Peripheral edema, headache, and dyspnea were the most common adverse events. CONCLUSION: This study reconfirms the results of previous placebo-controlled studies, which demonstrate that ambrisentan is well tolerated and provides benefit in patients with PAH. Definitive conclusions regarding the safety and efficacy of ambrisentan in specific non-Group 1 PH etiologies cannot be determined and larger, controlled studies will be necessary to determine the efficacy and safety of ambrisentan in these populations.

Compelling evidence of long-term outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension? A clinical perspective.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and progressive disease of the pulmonary arterial circulation that is characterized by a progressive rise in pulmonary vascular resistance, eventually leading to right-heart failure and death. There are currently 3 classes of drugs approved for the treatment of PAH: prostacyclin analogues, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. All of these therapies have been approved for use on the basis of relatively small, short-term studies, yet it is common for each to be administered (alone or in combination) over the lifetime of a patient with PAH. Very few prospective, well-controlled PAH studies have examined long-term clinical outcomes associated with current medical therapy. Therefore, data that support the long-term therapeutic benefits of these long-term PAH therapies are limited and derived primarily from uncontrolled, observational studies. In this perspective, the authors review the published research to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the data that support the long-term clinical benefit of current PAH therapies. The authors conclude that current medical therapies approved for the treatment of PAH can provide sustained benefits in hemodynamic function and exercise capacity. The cumulative evidence, in the form of meta-analysis and registry data, suggest that patients are living longer compared with untreated patients; the reasons are likely multifactorial. Although definitive evidence will require randomized and properly controlled long-term trials, the current evidence supports the long-term use of these drugs for the treatment of patients with PAH.

Long-term pulmonary hemodynamic effects of ambrisentan in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The long-term effects of endothelin receptor antagonists on pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are not well studied. This post hoc analysis examined changes in pulmonary hemodynamics in a cohort of patients with PAH who underwent follow-up right heart catheterization (RHC) in a long-term ambrisentan study (ARIES-E). A retrospective review was conducted of patients who underwent RHC after >3 months of ambrisentan therapy. Changes from baseline in mean PAP, mean right atrial pressure, cardiac index, and PVR were assessed and correlations between these hemodynamic changes and exercise capacity were examined. Sixty-eight patients who received ambrisentan in the ARIES studies had ≥1 follow-up RHC while receiving ambrisentan. Fifty-eight patients were on ambrisentan alone at the time of the first RHC. Median time from initiation of ambrisentan therapy to follow-up RHC was 60 weeks (range 14 to 158). Significant improvements compared to baseline were observed for mean PAP (-7.6 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval [CI] -10.0 to -5.1), PVR (-266 dyne × s/cm(5), 95% CI -350 to -180), and cardiac index (0.4 L/min/m(2), 95% CI 0.2 to 0.6 L/min/m(2)); for patients on ambrisentan alone, changes in mean PAP and PVR were inversely correlated with change from baseline 6-minute walking distance (r = -0.41 and -0.43, respectively, p <0.001 for the 2 comparisons) at time of follow-up RHC. In conclusion, ambrisentan may provide sustained improvements in pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with PAH who receive long-term treatment and these changes correlate with improvements in exercise capacity.

No clinically relevant pharmacokinetic and safety interactions of ambrisentan in combination with tadalafil in healthy volunteers.

Ambrisentan is a nonsulfonamide, ET(A)-selective endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and tadalafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor under investigation for treatment of PAH. Due to the potential combination use, the pharmacokinetic (PK) interactions between these two drugs were assessed in a crossover study in 26 healthy adults. Single-dose PK of ambrisentan (10 mg) and its metabolite, 4-hydroxymethyl ambrisentan, were determined in the absence and presence of multiple doses of tadalafil (40 mg QD). Similarly, single-dose PK of tadalafil (40 mg) were evaluated in the absence and presence of multiple doses of ambrisentan (10 mg QD). In the presence of tadalafil, ambrisentan maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) was similar (105.0% [90% CI: 95.9-115.0%]) and systemic exposure (AUC(0-infinity)) was slightly decreased (87.5% [84.0-91.2%]), compared with ambrisentan alone. Similar changes were observed with 4-hydroxymethyl ambrisentan. Tadalafil C(max) (100.6% [94.4-107.1%]) and AUC(0-infinity) (100.2% [92.6-108.4%]) showed no difference in the absence and presence of ambrisentan. The safety profile of the drugs combined was similar to that of either drug alone. No dose adjustments should be necessary when these drugs are coadministered. These results are in contrast to previous reports that the sulfonamide-based ERA bosentan can cause marked decreases in the exposure of tadalafil.

Long-term ambrisentan therapy for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ambrisentan for a period of 2 years in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). BACKGROUND: Ambrisentan is an oral, once-daily endothelin receptor antagonist that is selective for the endothelin type A receptor. The ARIES-1 (Ambrisentan in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter, Efficacy Studies) and ARIES-2 trials were the pivotal 12-week, placebo-controlled studies that led to the regulatory approval of ambrisentan (5 and 10 mg) for the treatment of PAH. METHODS: In the ARIES-1 and -2 studies, and the subsequent long-term extension protocol, the ARIES-E study, 383 patients received ambrisentan (2.5, 5, or 10 mg). Efficacy and safety assessments are presented from the time of the first dose of ambrisentan for all patients with post-baseline data. RESULTS: After 2 years of ambrisentan exposure, the mean change from baseline in 6-min walk distance was improved for the 5-mg (+23 m; 95% confidence interval: 9 to 38 m) and 10-mg (+28 m; 95% confidence interval: 11 to 45 m) groups. Estimates of survival and freedom from clinical worsening for the combined dose group were 94% and 83%, respectively, at 1 year and 88% and 72%, respectively, at 2 years. The annualized risk of aminotransferase abnormalities >3x the upper limit of normal was approximately 2% per year; most of these events were mild and did not lead to discontinuation of drug. CONCLUSIONS: Two years of ambrisentan treatment was associated with sustained improvements in exercise capacity and a low risk of clinical worsening and death in patients with PAH. Ambrisentan was generally well tolerated and had a low risk of aminotransferase abnormalities over the 2-year study period. (A Long Term Study of Ambrisentan in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Subjects Having Completed AMB-320 or AMB-321; NCT00578786).

Ambrisentan for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) are an important class of agents used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Ambrisentan is an oral, once-daily, endothelin type-A receptor (ETA)-selective, propanoic acid class ERA under clinical investigation for the treatment of PAH. In a Phase II study, ambrisentan improved 6-minute walk distance, Borg dyspnea index, World Health Organization Functional Class, and hemodynamics. Ambrisentan was well tolerated and adverse events were not dose related, including a low incidence and severity of liver function test abnormalities. There are no relevant interactions between ambrisentan and cytochrome P450 isoenzymes (metabolism, induction or inhibition) that might alter the activity of P450-metabolized drugs. Potential benefits of ambrisentan include oral, once-daily dosing, ET(A)-receptor selectivity, and the decreased risks of liver toxicity and adverse drug-drug interactions compared with other ERAs.

Context-dependent regulation of NeuroD activity and protein accumulation.

NeuroD/BETA2 (referred to as NeuroD hereafter) is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that is required for the development and survival of a subset of neurons and pancreatic endocrine cells in mice. Gain-of-function analyses demonstrated that NeuroD can (i) convert epidermal fate into neuronal fate when overexpressed in Xenopus embryos, and (ii) activate the insulin promoter in pancreatic beta cell lines in response to glucose stimulation. In glucose-stimulated INS-1 pancreatic beta cells, mutations of S259, S266, and S274 to alanines inhibited the ability of NeuroD to activate the insulin promoter. Phosphorylation of those serine residues by ERK1/2 was required for NeuroD activity in that assay. To determine whether the same residues are implicated in the neurogenic activity of NeuroD, we mutated the conserved S259, S266, and S274 of Xenopus NeuroD to alanines (S259A, S266A, and S274A), and performed an ectopic neurogenesis assay in Xenopus embryos. In contrast to what has been observed in the pancreatic beta cell line, the S266A and S274A mutant forms of Xenopus NeuroD displayed significantly increased abilities to form ectopic neurons, while S259A had little effect. In addition, S266A and S274A of Xenopus NeuroD resulted in increased accumulation of protein in the injected embryos while the corresponding mutations on mouse NeuroD did not have the same effect in an insulinoma cell line. Our results demonstrate that the consequence of NeuroD protein modification is context-dependent at both the molecular and functional levels.