Ambrisentan in Patients With Porto-pulmonary Hypertension A Multicenter Open Label Trial (Portopulm)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01224210 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : October 19, 2010
Results First Posted : January 12, 2021
Last Update Posted : January 12, 2021
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This is an Open Label, Multicenter, pilot clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of an oral selective Endothelin Receptor Antagonist (ambrisentan) in patients with portopulmonary hypertension.
Preliminary evidence suggests that ambrisentan is safe and effective in patients with portopulmonary hypertension. The goal of therapy for these patients is to improve symptoms of dyspnea and to improve pulmonary hemodynamics to a mean pulmonary artery pressure <35 mm Hg in order to make patients eligible for liver transplantation. Therefore, the primary endpoints for this study will include 6 minute walk distance (6MWD) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR).
Eligible subjects will receive 5 mg ambrisentan once-daily for the first 4 weeks. After the initial 4-week period, investigators will increase study drug dose to 10 mg once daily (both 5 mg and 10 mg doses are FDA approved). If 10 mg is not tolerated in the opinion of investigator, then the investigator may decrease the dose back to 5 mg once daily. Primary outcome is a change in both the 6 Minute Walk Distance and in Pulmonary Vascular Resistance from baseline to Week 24. Subjects will be monitored with liver function tests (LFT) every 2 weeks for the first 8 weeks, then every 4 weeks thereafter. These safety laboratory tests may be performed at a local phlebotomy laboratory or at the Investigator clinic. In addition, the Investigator will assess each subject for safety and efficacy at Week 4, Week 12, and Week 24. Following Week 24, subjects will be assessed for safety and efficacy every 12 weeks. Patients will be followed for a total of 1 year. After 1 year, if the Investigator feels that continuing the treatment will be beneficial to the patients, they will be provided with ambrisentan by Gilead Pharmaceuticals, free of charge.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Portopulmonary Hypertension | Drug: Ambrisentan | Phase 3 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 30 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Ambrisentan in Patients With Porto-pulmonary Hypertension A Multicenter Open Label Trial |
Actual Study Start Date : | March 2010 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | October 2016 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | March 2020 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Ambrisentan (24 Weeks), Extension (4 Weeks)
Open Label Ambrisentan
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Drug: Ambrisentan
Ambrisentan once-daily in the morning with or without food. The adult dose selected for this study will be 5 mg for the first 4 weeks. After the initial 4 weeks the dose will be increased to 10mg (available doses are 5, and 10 mg) based on tolerance safety. Subjects will remain on 10mg until they complete the study. Dose adjustments may be made based on side effects.
Other Name: Letairis |
- Change in Pulmonary Vascular Resistance [ Time Frame: from baseline to Week 24 ]Change in Pulmonary Vascular Resistance from baseline to Week 24 for all patients (using cardiac output [CO] measured by the thermodilution method and reported as percent difference from baseline).
- 6 Minute Walk Distance [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to Week 24 ]Change from baseline in 6 Minute Walk Distance to Week 24 for all patients. (difference measured in meters).

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
Subjects need to fulfill all of the following 4 criteria:
- Evidence of portal hypertension (by hemodynamic measurement, or by Doppler flow of portal circulation, or by clinical evidence of portal hypertension such as esophageal or gastric varices, as evidenced by prior upper endoscopy).
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Evidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension by right heart catheterization (all three criteria need to be present) Right heart catheterization may have been performed up to 30 days prior to screening
- Mean PAP (pulmonary artery pressure) >25 mm Hg, and
- PVR (pulmonary vascular resistance) >240 dynes/s/cm5, and
- TPG (transpulmonary gradient = meanPAP -PAWP) >12 mm Hg
- Baseline AST, ALT < 5 times the upper limit of normal, total Bili < 3.0 mg/dl, and mild liver impairment with Child -Pugh class A or B
- Ages 18 years and above
Exclusion Criteria:
- Presence of any other etiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (HIV, connective tissue disease, sickle cell, left heart failure, chronic thromboembolic PH, etc)
- Treatment with prostacyclins, other ERAs, or PDE5 inhibitors within 30 days of enrollment.
- Moribund state or anticipated death within 1 month.
- AST or ALT ≥ 5 times upper limit of normal
- Total bilirubin ≥ 3.0 mg/dl
- Significant lung disease (obstructive lung disease with FEV1 < 1L, or FEV1/FVC <50%; or restrictive lung disease with Total Lung Capacity < 60% predicted). PFTs may have been performed up to 6 months prior to enrollment.
- Pregnancy
- Age <18 years
- Child -Pugh class C

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01224210
United States, California | |
UCSD Medical Center | |
La Jolla, California, United States, 92093 | |
United States, Florida | |
Mayo Clinic Florida | |
Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32224 | |
United States, Massachusetts | |
Tufts Medical Center | |
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02111 | |
United States, North Carolina | |
University of North Carolina | |
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599 | |
United States, Ohio | |
The Ohio State University Medical Center | |
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43221 | |
United States, Texas | |
UT Southwestern Medical Center | |
Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390 |
Principal Investigator: | Ioana Preston, MD | Tufts Medical Center |
Responsible Party: | Tufts Medical Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01224210 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
Ambrisentan Portopulm Study |
First Posted: | October 19, 2010 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | January 12, 2021 |
Last Update Posted: | January 12, 2021 |
Last Verified: | December 2020 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.: | No |
portopulmonary hypertension portal hypertension esophageal or gastric varices right heart catheterization transpulmonary gradient |
Endothelin Receptor Antagonist Ambrisentan Letairis pulmonary hemodynamics |
Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension Vascular Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases |
Lung Diseases Respiratory Tract Diseases Ambrisentan Antihypertensive Agents |