SILVER SPRING, Md., and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) and Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. today announced John Newman, MD, and James Loyd, MD, both from Vanderbilt University, as the recipients of the inaugural PHA Award of Excellence in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) Care. The grant, in the amount of $50,000, will go to Vanderbilt University to support continued excellence in care for patients with PAH. The award, supported by Actelion, was presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in San Francisco.
Drs. Newman and Loyd were selected for their outstanding contributions to PAH patient care and clinical research, being among the discoverers of the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR-2) mutation, now linked to the genetic disorder idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), and the founders of one of the leading PAH programs in the world.
"Dr. Newman and Dr. Loyd have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of patients with PAH," said David Badesch, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, and Cardiology at the University of Colorado and chair of the Selection Committee. "They exemplify the devotion to advancing clinical research and bettering the lives of PAH patients, and we are excited to present them with this inaugural award."
The PHA Award of Excellence in PAH Care is designed to honor and acknowledge healthcare professionals who are committed to improving outcomes for patients with PAH. It will be awarded annually to outstanding care providers for clinical practice excellence in the area of PAH. The financial component of the award is directed to the recipient's institution to support continued excellence in care for patients with PAH.
"The PHA Award of Excellence will encourage continued research in the area of PAH, a serious condition that continues to be under-recognized or under-treated," said Rino Aldrighetti, president of the PHA. "Our physicians have made significant progress over the past few years in improving the lives of patients and developing effective PAH therapies, and believe that this award will contribute to ongoing advancement in PAH patient care."
This year's award recipients were selected by the 2007-2008 Independent Selection Committee, comprised of: David Badesch, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, and Cardiology at the University of Colorado and chair of the Independent Selection Committee; Michael McGoon, MD, Professor of Medicine and Consultant in Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; and Gregory Elliott, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Criteria in selecting the recipients included: proven resources required for excellence in PAH patient care, service to the local community, and consistent provision of cutting-edge options for patients living with PAH.
About the Award Recipients
John Newman, MD, is currently Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Elsa S. Hanigan Chair in Pulmonary Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He also sits on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Special Emphasis Panel-K23, K24, K25 Study Section, Ad Hoc. From 1995-2003, Dr. Newman was Chief of Medical Service for the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center and from 1997-1998 he served as the Interim Chairman of Vanderbilt University's Department of Medicine. Co-author of more than one hundred and twenty peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Newman currently holds NIH grants in the areas of genetic and environmental pathogenesis of PPH and cancer chemopreventive agents. He has recently completed two other NIH research projects involving pulmonary hypertension and pathophysiology of the pulmonary microcirculation. He has received numerous honors and awards including the Scientific Leadership Award, Pulmonary Circulation Assembly, American Thoracic Society in 2004.
James Loyd, MD, is currently the Rudy W. Jacobson Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Co-author of more than one hundred publications, Dr. Loyd currently holds NIH grants in the areas of genetic and environmental pathogenesis of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), is a principal investigator in the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) net, and participates in the collaborative gene search for IPF in families. He has completed two other NIH grants involving the familial pulmonary hypertension gene and pulmonary hypertension-mechanisms and family registry. In addition, he has participated in multicenter randomized treatment trials for PPH, IPF, and lung transplant patients.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
About Actelion Pharmaceuticals
Actelion Pharmaceuticals has pioneered research and development in the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) disease area. More than 40,000 PAH patients have been prescribed Actelion's product Tracleer(R) (bosentan), an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist for patients with World Health Organization (WHO) Class III or IV PAH. Tracleer was approved in 2001 as the first oral treatment for PAH, and is currently approved in the U.S., the European Union, and other markets worldwide. In January 2007, Actelion acquired CoTherix, Inc., whose product Ventavis(R) is approved and marketed in the United States for the treatment of patients with WHO Class III or IV PAH.
Pulmonary Hypertension Association; Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
