PMID: 9436235Jan 1, 1997Paper

Pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary blood vessels and vasoactive drugs

Proceedings of the Western Pharmacology Society
J C Wanstall

Abstract

There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat pulmonary hypertension. Specific pathophysiological abnormalities, seen in both clinical pulmonary hypertension and experimental pulmonary hypertension in animals, suggest that potassium channel openers, endothelin antagonists and nitric oxide donors may be valuable in the future. Our own studies and those of others have shown that drugs from each of these groups have properties that are consistent with their potential therapeutic use in this disease. Use of the inhalational route of administration may be desirable, or even essential, if any of these drugs are to produce effects that are selective for the pulmonary circulation.

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