Tadalafil: the evidence for its clinical potential in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Review

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Author: Stuart D. Katz

Published Date July 2008 Volume 2007:2(4) Pages 0 - 0

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CE.S7438

Stuart D. Katz

Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by increased pulmonary artery pressures in the absence of elevated pulmonary venous pressures, is a progressive disease associated with reduced exercise capacity and increased mortality risk. Current treatments for PAH include nonspecific vasodilators, prostacyclin and related analogs, and endothelin receptor antagonists. Since phosphodiesterase type 5 is highly expressed in pulmonary vascular tissues, agents that selectively inhibit phosphodiesterase type 5 activity induce pulmonary arterial vasodilatation, and are being developed for the treatment of PAH.

Aims: The purpose of this review is to evaluate the existing evidence for the use of tadalafil, a selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, in PAH.

Evidence review: Data from erectile dysfunction populations indicate that tadalafil is well tolerated with an elimination half-life of 17.5 hours. Small pilot studies in patients with PAH of mixed etiology demonstrate that tadalafil reduces pulmonary vascular resistance and is associated with improved clinical status. A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with PAH is currently recruiting patients.

Clinical potential: Based on existing studies of sildenafil, a related selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor in PAH, and the findings of initial pilot studies, tadalafil appears to have excellent potential to provide therapeutic benefit in patients with pulmonary hypertension. The long elimination half-life of tadalafil makes it suitable for once-daily dosing.

Key words: evidence, tadalafil, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, pulmonary hypertension,