Selexipag, sold under the brand name Uptravi, is a medication developed by Actelion for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Selexipag and its active metabolite, ACT-333679 (or MRE-269, the free carboxylic acid), are agonists of the prostacyclin receptor, which leads to vasodilation in the pulmonary circulation. It is taken by mouth or administered intravenously.
Read the full article on WikipediaPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Initial treatment following dose titration Patient must have WHO Functional Class III PAH at treatment initiation with this drug; OR Patient must have WHO Functional Class IV PAH at treatment initiation with this drug, AND The treatment must form part of triple combination therapy consisting of: (i) one endothelin receptor antagonist, (ii) one phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, (iii) selexipag (referred to as 'triple therapy'); OR The treatment must form part of dual combination therapy consisting of either: (i) selexipag with one endothelin receptor antagonist, (ii) selexipag with one phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, as triple combination therapy with selexipag-an endothelin receptor antagonist-a phoshodiesterase-5 inhibitor is not possible due to an intolerance/contraindication to the endothelin receptor antagonist class/phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor class (referred to as 'dual therapy in lieu of triple therapy'), AND Patient must have completed the dose titration phase, AND The treatment must not be as monotherapy. Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a physician with expertise in the management of PAH, with this authority application to be completed by the physician with expertise in PAH. Population criteria: Patient must have had at least one PBS-subsidised PAH agent prior to this authority application. Select one appropriate strength (determined under the 'Initial treatment - dose titration' phase) and apply under this treatment phase (Initial treatment following dose titration) once only. Should future dose adjustments be required, apply under the 'Continuing treatment' restriction. A prior PAH agent is any of: ambrisentan, bosentan, macitentan, sildenafil, tadalafil, epoprostenol, iloprost, riociguat. For the purposes of PBS subsidy, an endothelin receptor antagonist is one of: (a) ambrisentan, (b) bosentan, (c) macitentan; a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor is one of: (d) sildenafil, (e) tadalafil. PBS-subsidy does not cover patients with pulmonary hypertension secondary to interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue disease, where the total lung capacity is less than 70% of predicted. PAH (WHO Group 1 pulmonary hypertension) is defined as follows: (i) mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) greater than or equal to 25 mmHg at rest and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) less than or equal to 15 mmHg; or (ii) where a right heart catheter (RHC) cannot be performed on clinical grounds, right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), assessed by echocardiography (ECHO), greater than 40 mmHg, with normal left ventricular function.
“Selexipag and its active metabolite ACT-333679 act on the prostacyclin receptor of lung tissue, with the latter being 37-fold more potent. They are selective for the prostacyclin receptor. Binding to this receptor leads to three major effects: increased vasodilation of the arteries, decreased cell proliferation and inhibition of platelet aggregation, all beneficial in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.”
“0.8–2.5 h (selexipag) and 6.2–13.5 h (ACT-333679)”
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