在2005年5月美國胸部疾病學會國際會議上宣讀的一項研究結果，吸入性藥物iloprost有利于肺動脈高壓患者。

Ventavis(iloprost)吸入溶液是由CoTherix公司推向市場的，已經獲得美國食品藥品管理局的批準。Iloprost是合成的化合物，與prostacyclines相似。Ventavis是Schering公司的商標。

一項使用iloprost治療肺動脈高壓的長期臨床試驗顯示：該藥對III級和IV級患者十分有效，為期2年的資料顯示出了持久的臨床作用。在維持臨床作用方面無須顯著增加劑量。原發性或者特發性肺動脈高壓的患者兩年生存率為91%，而未治療歷史對照人群的預期生存率為63%。最嚴重的不良事件是心臟衰竭。

在另外一項IV級肺動脈高壓患者的臨床試驗中，比較了吸入iloprost與安慰劑的作用。使用吸入iloprost藥物組患者比安慰劑組患者的作用明顯要好。肺動脈高壓患者iloprost的治療反應率為17%，而安慰劑組是2%。

Graz醫科大學的Horst Olschewski醫生報道了這些資料，他說：“間斷使用iloprost藥物治療提高了運動能力和肺臟血液動力學，減少了出現耐受和反彈的危險。同時還避免了長期留置導管的麻煩和出現并發癥。”

Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
 
The inhaled drug iloprost benefits patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to study results announced at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego (CA, USA) in May 2005.

The Ventavis (iloprost) inhalation solution marketed by CoTherix, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA) has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Iloprost is a synthetic compound similar to prostacyclines. Ventavis is a trademark of Schering AG (Berlin, Germany).

One study of long-term treatment for PAH with iloprost showed that the drug was effective for class III and IV patients, with two-year data suggesting sustained clinical benefit. No significant dose increase was required to maintain clinical benefit. Patients with primary or idiopathic pulmonary hypertension had a two-year survival rate of 91%, compared to a predicted survival of 63% for an untreated historical cohort. Heart failure was the most common serious adverse event.

In another study of patients with class IV pulmonary hypertension, inhaled iloprost was compared to placebo. Patients in the inhaled iloprost group performed significantly better than those in the placebo group. The response rate among PAH patients treated with iloprost was 17%, compared to 2% for those treated with placebo.

“Intermittent therapy with inhaled iloprost improved exercise capacity and pulmonary hemodynamics while reducing the risk of developing tolerance and rebound,” noted Horst Olschewski, M.D., Medical University of Graz (Austria), who presented the data. “It also avoids the inconvenience and complications associated with chronic indwelling catheters.”