Patients suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can soon turn to a new medication targeting the root cause of the condition. On Tuesday, Merck’s sotatercept, marketed as Winrevair, received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with the progressive and life-threatening lung condition.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare and rapidly progressive disease that causes the blood vessels in the lungs to narrow. As a result, blood pressure rises, harming the heart. The disease affects roughly 40,000 Americans—more of them women than men. The disease strains the heart, leading to limited physical activity, heart failure, and reduced life expectancy. The five-year mortality rate is 43 percent.
