Quantcast
Published On: Fri, Sep 7th, 2012

FDA recommends against prescribing Revatio to children for PAH

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) is recommending that Revatio (sildenafil) not be prescribed to children (ages 1 through 17) for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; high pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs).  This recommendation against use is based on a recent long-term clinical pediatric trial showing that: (1) children taking a

Public domain image Sildenafil/Yikrazuul

high dose of Revatio had a higher risk of death than children taking a low dose and (2) the low doses of Revatio are not effective in improving exercise ability.  Most deaths were caused by pulmonary hypertension and heart failure, which are the most common causes of death in children with PAH.

Revatio has never been approved for the treatment of PAH in children, and in light of the new clinical trial information, off-label (not approved by FDA) use of the drug in pediatric patients is not recommended. The following new information is being added to the Revatio drug label:

  • A new warning stating the use of Revatio is not recommended in pediatric patients
  • Results of the Revatio trial in pediatric patients

Revatio is approved to improve exercise ability and delay clinical worsening of PAH in adult patients .  The current Revatio label recommends avoiding doses higher than 20 mg, given three times a day.  The effect of Revatio on the risk of death with long-term use in adults is unknown; FDA is requiring the manufacturer of Revatio (Pfizer) to evaluate Revatio’s effect on the risk of death in adults with PAH.

What is sidenafil?

  • A phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension by relaxing the blood vessels in the lungs to reduce blood pressure.
  • Also marketed in the prescription product Viagra, a drug for adult males with erectile dysfunction (inability to get or maintain an erection).  At this time, FDA does not believe that this safety concern applies to the use of Viagra, given the differences in patient population and the different recommended dosing regimens.

 

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives