October 8, 2008 - An early proof-of-concept study presented shows promising results for imatinib in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a severe, incurable blood vessel disorder. Preliminary findings from a 59-patient, multi-center Phase II clinical trial suggest imatinib provides a treatment benefit, as demonstrated by a significant improvement in pulmonary vascular resistance and a numerical increase in cardiac output, key hemodynamic measures used to monitor the progression of the disease. Improvements in the six-minute walk test, the primary endpoint of the study, approached, but did not reach, statistical significance... Novartis' Press Release -
