Epoprostenol

General information

Epoprostenol is PGI ₂ available for exogenous administration. It has become the preferred long-term treatment for patients with primary pulmonary hypertension who continue to have symptoms in spite of conventional therapy. However, tolerance, which always occurs, has made dosing uncertain. The effectiveness of epoprostenol given according to an aggressive dosing strategy for longer than 1 year has been investigated in these patients [ ]. The dose of epoprostenol was increased by 2.4 nanograms/kg/minute each month to the maximum tolerated dose. Adverse reactions were common and included diarrhea, jaw pain, headaches, and flushing in all patients.

Organs and systems