Could a Heart-Lung drug help kids with pulmonary hypertension?
NCT ID NCT02562235
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a drug called riociguat in children aged 6 to 18 who have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition where high blood pressure in the lungs makes it hard to breathe and move. The goal is to see if the drug is safe and how the body processes it at different doses. Twenty-four children took part, with doses adjusted by weight, and the study included a long-term follow-up to monitor effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Riociguat (Adempas)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a safe and effective treatment option for children with pulmonary arterial hypertension, helping control the disease and improve daily function.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 24 participants, so results may not apply to all children. The drug may cause side effects like low blood pressure or bleeding, and long-term benefits are not yet proven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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24 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2015
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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6 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Children from 6 years to less than 18 years of age with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) * Diagnosed with PAH : * Idiopathic (IPAH) * Hereditable (HPAH) * PAH associated with (APAH) * Connective tissue disease * Congenital heart disease with shunt closure more than 6 months ago (no open shunts, confirmed by RHC no less than 4 months after surgery) Regardless of the type of PAH, the following findings are not exclusionary: \--- Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and asymptomatic, isolated, ostium secundum atrial septal defect (OS-ASD) ≤ 1 cm (both confirmed by echocardiogram) and not associated with hemodynamic alterations indicative of significant shunt, e.g. Qp/Qs ratio less \<1.5:1 are not exclusionary * PAH diagnosed by right heart catheterization (RHC) at any time prior to enrolment (for patients with closed shunts - RHC no less than 4 months after surgery) * PAH confirmed by a RHC at any time prior to start of study, with mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAPmean) ≥25 mmHg at rest, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) or left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) ≤15 mmHg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) \>240 dyn•sec•cm\^-5 (i.e., ≥3.0 wood units•m\^2) * Patients must be on standard of care PAH medications, allowing Endothelin Receptor Antagonists (ERA) and/or Prostacyclin Analogues (PCA), for at least 12 weeks prior to baseline visit. Two groups of patients will be included: * Prevalent: Patients currently on PAH medication (allowing ERA and/or PCA) who need additional treatment (discretion of the investigator) * Incident: Treatment naïve patients initiated on PAH medication (allowing ERA and /or PCA) and then riociguat added once patients are stable on standard of care * WHO functional class I-III * Adolescent females of childbearing potential can only be included in the study if a pregnancy test is negative. Adolescent females of childbearing potential must agree to receive sexual counseling and use effective contraception as applicable. 'Effective contraception' is defined as progestogen-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (implant), intrauterine device (IUD), intrauterine hormone-releasing system (IUS), or any combination of adequate methods of birth control (e.g. condoms with hormonal contraception). Agreement to use contraception is required from the signing of the informed consent form up until 4 weeks after the last study drug administration. * Young men must agree to use adequate contraception when sexually active. * Written inform consent provided and if applicable child assent provided Exclusion Criteria: * Concomitant use of the following medications: phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors (such as sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil) and non-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors (theophylline, dipyridamole), nitrates or NO donors (such as amyl nitrite) in any form \-- Pretreatment with NO donors (e.g. nitrates) within the last 2-weeks before visit 1. The use of any drug including NO acutely for testing during catheterization is not an exclusion criterion. * Active state of hemoptysis or pulmonary hemorrhage, including those events managed by bronchial artery embolization or any history of bronchial artery embolization or massive hemoptysis within 3 months prior to screening * Systolic blood pressure (SBP) more than 5 mmHg lower than the age-, sex- and height-adapted level of the 50th SBP percentile (NHBPEP, 2004) * History of left-sided heart disease, including valvular disease or heart failure * Pulmonary hypertension related to conditions other than specified in the inclusion criteria * WHO functional class IV * Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease * Screening aspartate transaminase (AST) and/ or alanine transaminase (ALT) more than 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) * Severe restrictive lung disease * Severe congenital abnormalities of the lung, thorax, and diaphragm * Clinically relevant hepatic dysfunction (especially Child Pugh C) * Renal insufficiency (estimated glomerular filtration rate \<30 mL/min/1.73m\^2 e.g. calculated based on Schwartz formula) * PH associated with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (PH-IIP)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center
Ōbu, Aichi-ken, 474-8710, Japan
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Azienda Ospedale-Università di Padova - UOC Cardiologia Pediatrica
Padova, Veneto, 35128, Italy
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Clínica Imbanaco S.A.S
Cali, Valle del Cauca Department, 760042, Colombia
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Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC)
Berlin, 13353, Germany
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Gottsegen Gyorgy Orszagos Kardiovaszkularis Intezet
Budapest, 1096, Hungary
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Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Ankara, 06230, Turkey (Türkiye)
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Instituto Nacional de Cardiología "Ignacio Chávez"
México D.F., Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
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Keio University Hospital
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
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National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center
Suita, Osaka, 565-8565, Japan
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Operadora de Hospitales Angeles S. A. de C. V.
Huixquilucan, 52763, Mexico
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Szegedi Tudományegyetem Szent-Györgyi Albert Klinikai Központ
Szeged, Csongrád-Csanád, 6720, Hungary
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The University of Osaka Hospital
Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Heidelberg, Baden-Wurttemberg, 69115, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Ulm
Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, 89075, Germany
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Veterans General Hospital
Kaohsiung City, 813414, Taiwan
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Wojewodzki Szpital Specjalistyczny - Wroclaw
Wroclaw, 51-124, Poland
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