ICL 2.14: Pharmacotherapy for PAH, Cough & Allergic Rhinitis Flashcards
what are the 5 groups of pulmonary hypertension?
group 1: pulmonary arterial HTN
group 2: PH from left sided heart failure
group 3: PH from chronic hypoxic lung disease
group 4: PH from chronic blood clots
group 5: unclear multifactorial mechanisms (sarcoidosis, hematological disorders, etc.)
what is group 1 pulmonary HTN?
pulmonary arterial HTN
blood vessels become thickened and hard (cellular proliferation) and narrow (vasoconstriction)
the net effect is that the heart weakens from working harder to pump blood
what is the overall MOA of the drugs used for pulmonary HTN?
drugs mainly work by causing vasodilation and blocking cellular proliferation
most drug therapy is directed toward group 1 (PAH), and Group 4 to some extent
what are class I-IV pulmonary HTN?
class I: no limitations in daily physical activities; no symptoms of dyspnea with routine exertion
class II: mild symptoms with exertion, including dyspnea and faitigue; no symptoms at rest
class III: moderate dyspnea with routine actives and activities of daily living; no symptoms at rest
class IV: inability to perform even minimal activities; signs and symptoms of right heart failure may be present; dyspnea present at rest
what are the pathological changes that happen in pulmonary arterial hypertension?
in group 1 HTN there’s decreased NO and prostacyclin/increased endothelin
the five main drug classes act on these 3 pathways: NO, prostacyclin and endothelin
what is the NO/sGC/cGMP pathway that pulmonary HTN drugs work on?
GTP is converted to cGMP via sGC
cGMP is broken down into to GMP via PDE5
cGMP decreases Ca+2 which leads to:
1. vasodilation
- anti-proliferative effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs)
- anticoagulant effect
so cGMP is good for preventing pulmonary HTN so the two drugs types that are used either activate sGC to make cGMP or they block PDE5 to prevent the breakdown of cGMP
how is cGMP regulated in the NO/sGC/cGMP pathway?
(+) NO made by endothelial cells moves into VSMCs, binds and activates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), which catalyzes cGMP synthesis
(-) PDE5 enzymes in VSCMs convert cGMP to 5’GMP, which terminates cGMP’s activity
how do pulmonary HTN drugs alter the NO/sGC/cGMP pathway?
- stimulation of sGC –> riociguat
- inhibition of
PDE5 –> sildenafil, tadalafil
which drugs are PDE-5 inhibitors? what is their MOA?
- sildenafil
- tadalafil
they bind to catalytic site of PDE5, competitively & selectively inhibits PDE5 activity
what are PDE5 inhibitors used for in relation to pulmonary HTN?
used in Group 1 (PAH) patients to improve exercise ability and delay clinical worsening
what is an important pharmacokinetic aspect of PDE5 inhibitors that you need to be aware of?
- they’re metabolized by CYP3A4 so avoid drugs that inhibit/promote this
- avoid taking with other NO/sGC/cGMP pathway drugs, including recreational ones because it can cause severe hypotension
- sudden vision/ hearing loss
- blue-green tinting of vision due to inhibition of retinal PDE6
what are the common side effects of PDE5 inhibitors? why?
- nosebleeds due to cGMP anticoagulant effect
- headache, flushing, erections, rhinitis due to cGMP vasodiation effect
- GI (altered motility, dyspepsia) due to smooth muscle relaxation
which drugs are sGC stimulators?
riociguat
it’s the only drug in the class!
what are the uses of sGC simulators in relation to pulmonary HTN?
- improves exercises capacity
- PH Group 4 with CTEPH
- improves exercise capacity and functional class
what is the MOA of sGC stimulator
- enhances NO binding to sGC, and
2. directly stimulates sGC which is good, since PAH involves ↓ NO production
what are the pharmacokinetics of sGC stimulators?
- significant inter-individual variability; requires dose titration
- cleared by many paths –> no major interactions
what are the side effects of sGC sitmulators?
- GI (nausea, altered motility)
- anemia, nosebleeds
- hypotension, headache
- requires BP monitoring
- contraindicated in pregnancy!! requires monthly pregnancy testing
what is a REMS program?
risk evaluation and mitigation
FDA mandation that certain safety things are put in place like having to be certified to be able to perscribe a certain drug
what is the prostacyclin pathway?
prostacyclin binds to IPR receptor which activates Gs coupled protein receptor which activates adenylyl cyclase
ATP is then converted into cAMP
cAMP can be broken down into AMP via PDE
cAMP decreases Ca+2 levels which leads to:
1. antiproliferative effect
- vasodilation
- anticoagulant effect
how is cAMP regulated?
(+) adenylyl cyclase (AC) catalyzes cAMP synthesis from ATP; AC is activated by Gs-coupled GPCRs like the prostaglandin IP receptor
(-) PDE enzymes convert cGMP to 5’GMP, which terminates cGMP’s activity
how do drugs alter the prostacyclin pathway?
- prostacyclin itself is given as a drug (epoprostanol)
- prostacyclin analogs to activate IPR (treprostinil, ilopros)
- other IP receptor agonists (selexipag) to activate IPR
which drugs are prostacyclins?
epoprostenol
given via IV infusion
what are the uses of prostacyclin drugs in relation to pulmonary HTN?
used for severe or high-risk PAH (WHO functional class III/IV)
improves functional class, hemodynamics, mortality
what is the MOA of prostacyclin drugs?
paracrine activation of IPR receptor
paracrine signalizing differs from endocrine in that it’s more local effects; it targets a nearby cell so they don’t have to go very far and breakdown very fast
endocrine signaling molecules have a much longer half life
what are the pharmacokinetics of prostacyclin?
it’s a paracrine activation of IPR which means it targets a nearby cell so they don’t have to go very far and breakdown very fast
this means it has a 6 minute half life and you have to give it via a titrated infusion via a central catheter
the prostacyclin molecules are also super unstable and require special handling like making sure it’s at the right temperature etc but it’s really effective so it’s worth the hassle
what are the side effects of prostacyclin drugs?
- headache, hypotension, flushing, dizziness
- GI side effects (nausea, etc.), pain (jaw, muscle), bleeding
- sudden discontinuation can cause rebound PH so you need to titrate it down
which drugs are prostacyclin analogs?
- treprostinil (inhaled, PO, IV, SC)
2. iloprost (inhaled)
what is the MOA of prostacyclin analogs?
activation of prostanoid receptors (e.g., IPR)
what are the uses of prostacyclin analogs in relation to pulmonary HTN?
PO agents: Group 1 (PAH) functional class II/III improves hemodynamic parameters, symptoms, exercise capacity
Parenteral agents: Group 1 functional class III/IV
what are the pharmacokinetics of prostacyclin analogs?
short half life but longer than epoprostenol
inhaled agents must be dosed 5-10x / day so that’s why they’re given via a SC pump usually and with the inhaled ones there’s a loss of effect at night while sleeping