Ferrer is using Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month to sound the alarm about the shortcomings of the current pathways for diagnosing and treating the blood pressure condition.
The Spanish company has rights to United Therapeutics’ pulmonary hypertension drugs Remodulin and Tyvaso in Europe and some other parts of the world. As part of its work in the area, Ferrer funded a pair of studies to collect information from patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD) and the clinicians who treat them.
Ferrer highlighted findings of the studies in a press release published Wednesday as part of the awareness month. One of the papers, which was published in Pulmonary Circulation in June, presented commentary from an event that brought together a group that included four PH-ILD patients and three primary caregivers.
The patients and carers “reported difficulties and barriers in navigating the healthcare system and obtaining adequate information to reduce their considerable uncertainties,” according to the study. The authors, who included Ferrer employees, said the finding showed “the substantial challenges that rare and complex conditions such as PH-ILD pose for routine clinical practice beyond PH expert centers.”
Patients reported severe disease burdens and high unmet medical needs despite advances in treatment of the condition. United pulled a filing for approval of Tyvaso in Europe in 2010. Ferrer said it would work with regulators to determine the right pathway for the drug when it struck its deal with United in 2022; elsewhere, Tyvaso has been approved to treat PH-ILD in the U.S. since early 2021.
The other paper cited in Ferrer’s release this week was published in ERJ Open Research and covered the findings of a survey of 55 clinicians who treat people with PH-ILD. The authors reported “significant use of off-label treatment” and “a large unmet need due to [a] lack of approved therapies.” The surveyed clinicians highlighted more frequent echocardiogram screening in ILD as a way to improve the diagnostic pathway.