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Randomized Study of Triple Therapy vs Sildenafil Dose Optimization in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (ASCEND-PAH)

28 luglio 2026 aggiornato da: Caio Júlio César dos Santos Fernandes, University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label Study Comparing Triple Therapy Versus Sildenafil Dose Optimization in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Using COMPERA 2.0 Risk Stratification as the Primary Outcome

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and progressive disease characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries, leading to right heart failure and premature death. Although combination therapy has improved outcomes, many patients remain at intermediate or high clinical risk despite treatment.

When patients do not reach low-risk status, treatment escalation is recommended. However, different escalation strategies are used in clinical practice, including increasing the dose of existing medications or adding a third drug that targets a different biological pathway. There is limited prospective randomized evidence directly comparing these approaches.

The ASCEND-PAH study is a prospective, randomized, open-label clinical trial designed to compare two therapeutic escalation strategies in adults with PAH who remain at intermediate or high risk despite dual therapy with an endothelin receptor antagonist and sildenafil. Participants will be randomized to either: (1) escalation to triple therapy with the addition of a prostacyclin pathway agent, or (2) optimization of dual therapy by increasing the dose of sildenafil.

The primary objective is to compare the proportion of patients who improve their risk category according to the COMPERA 2.0 four-stratum risk model within 3 to 6 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes include changes in functional status, exercise capacity, biomarkers, clinical worsening, safety, and treatment persistence

Panoramica dello studio

Stato

Reclutamento

Condizioni

Intervento / Trattamento

Descrizione dettagliata

This is a prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial designed to evaluate therapeutic escalation strategies in adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, Group 1) who remain at intermediate-low, intermediate-high, or high risk according to the COMPERA 2.0 four-stratum model despite stable dual therapy.

Eligible participants must be receiving an endothelin receptor antagonist in combination with sildenafil and have a clinical indication for treatment escalation. After confirmation of eligibility and baseline assessments, participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two strategies:

Escalation to triple therapy through addition of a prostacyclin pathway agent (inhaled iloprost or selexipag), according to clinical judgment and availability.

Optimization of dual therapy by increasing the dose of sildenafil according to clinical practice.

Baseline assessments may include WHO functional class, 6-minute walk distance, and BNP or NT-proBNP levels obtained within 90 days prior to randomization. Follow-up evaluation will occur between 3 and 6 months after randomization, with the primary analysis based on the assessment closest to 6 months within that window.

The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients who achieve improvement in risk stratification, defined as a decrease of at least one risk category according to the COMPERA 2.0 four-stratum model. Secondary endpoints include composite clinical improvement and worsening, change in individual clinical parameters, time to clinical worsening, safety outcomes, need for additional therapeutic escalation, and treatment persistence.

The study is powered to detect a clinically meaningful absolute difference of 20 percentage points in risk improvement between groups, with planned enrollment of approximately 196 participants to account for potential losses to follow-up

Tipo di studio

Interventistico

Iscrizione (Stimato)

196

Fase

  • Fase 4

Contatti e Sedi

Questa sezione fornisce i recapiti di coloro che conducono lo studio e informazioni su dove viene condotto lo studio.

Contatto studio

Luoghi di studio

  • Brasile
    • São Paulo
      • São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasile, 04551-060
        • Reclutamento
        • Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo
        • Contatto:

Criteri di partecipazione

I ricercatori cercano persone che corrispondano a una certa descrizione, chiamata criteri di ammissibilità. Alcuni esempi di questi criteri sono le condizioni generali di salute di una persona o trattamenti precedenti.

Criteri di ammissibilità

Età idonea allo studio

  • Adulto
  • Adulto più anziano

Accetta volontari sani

No

Descrizione

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years
  • Diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, Group 1) confirmed according to accepted clinical and hemodynamic criteria
  • Stable treatment with an endothelin receptor antagonist in combination with sildenafil prior to randomization
  • Classified as intermediate-low, intermediate-high, or high risk according to the COMPERA 2.0 four-stratum model
  • Clinical indication for therapeutic escalation
  • Availability for follow-up assessment between 3 and 6 months after randomization
  • Ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participation in another interventional clinical trial that mandates treatment modification
  • Known contraindication to prostacyclin pathway agents (including iloprost or selexipag)
  • Known contraindication to sildenafil dose escalation
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Women of childbearing potential not using effective contraception
  • Any clinical condition that, in the investigator's judgment, would interfere with study participation or outcome assessment

Piano di studio

Questa sezione fornisce i dettagli del piano di studio, compreso il modo in cui lo studio è progettato e ciò che lo studio sta misurando.

Come è strutturato lo studio?

Dettagli di progettazione

  • Scopo principale: Trattamento
  • Assegnazione: Randomizzato
  • Modello interventistico: Assegnazione parallela
  • Mascheramento: Nessuno (etichetta aperta)

Armi e interventi

Gruppo di partecipanti / Arm
Intervento / Trattamento
Comparatore attivo: Sildenafil Dose Optimization
Participants will continue dual therapy with an endothelin receptor antagonist and sildenafil, with optimization of sildenafil dose according to clinical practice. No additional pulmonary arterial hypertension pathway agent will be added at randomization. Treatment adjustments after randomization will be recorded if clinically required.
Droga: Sildenafil Dose Optimization
Optimization of sildenafil dose within approved dosing ranges as part of dual therapy with an endothelin receptor antagonist. Dose adjustments will be performed according to clinical practice to achieve maximal tolerated and guideline-recommended dosing without addition of a new PAH pathway agent at randomization.
Altri nomi:
  • Sildenafil
Sperimentale: Triple Therapy Escalation (Inhaled Iloprost or Selexipag)
Participants will receive escalation to triple therapy through addition of a prostacyclin pathway agent (inhaled iloprost or selexipag) to ongoing dual therapy with an endothelin receptor antagonist and sildenafil. The specific prostacyclin pathway agent will be selected according to clinical judgment and availability. Participants will remain on triple therapy during follow-up unless modification is clinically indicated.
Droga: Prostacyclin Pathway Agent
Addition of a prostacyclin pathway agent (inhaled iloprost or oral selexipag) to ongoing dual therapy with an endothelin receptor antagonist and sildenafil as part of therapeutic escalation to triple therapy. The specific agent will be selected according to clinical judgment and availability. Dosing will follow approved labeling and routine clinical practice.
Altri nomi:
  • Selexipag
  • Iloprost

Cosa sta misurando lo studio?

Misure di risultato primarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Improvement in Risk Stratification According to the COMPERA 2.0 Four-Stratum Model
Lasso di tempo: Between 3 and 6 months after randomization (assessment closest to 6 months within the predefined window)
Proportion of participants who achieve improvement in clinical risk category between baseline and follow-up, defined as a decrease of at least one risk category according to the COMPERA 2.0 four-stratum model (low, intermediate-low, intermediate-high, high risk). Risk status is determined using World Health Organization functional class, 6-minute walk distance, and BNP or NT-proBNP levels, when available.
Between 3 and 6 months after randomization (assessment closest to 6 months within the predefined window)

Misure di risultato secondarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Composite Clinical Improvement at 3-6 Months
Lasso di tempo: Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Proportion of participants who achieve composite clinical improvement between baseline and follow-up (3-6 months), defined as improvement in at least two of the following without worsening in any: (1) improvement of ≥1 WHO functional class; (2) increase of ≥30 meters in 6-minute walk distance; (3) reduction of ≥30% in BNP or NT-proBNP levels.
Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Composite Clinical Worsening
Lasso di tempo: From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Occurrence of clinical worsening defined as any of the following during follow-up: worsening of ≥1 WHO functional class; decrease of ≥30 meters in 6-minute walk distance; increase of ≥30% in BNP or NT-proBNP; need for additional therapeutic escalation; hospitalization related to pulmonary arterial hypertension; or death from any cause.
From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Change in WHO Functional Class
Lasso di tempo: Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Change in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class between baseline and follow-up. WHO functional class ranges from I (least severe) to IV (most severe), with higher classes indicating worse functional limitation.
Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Change in 6-Minute Walk Distance (6MWD)
Lasso di tempo: Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Absolute change in 6-minute walk distance (meters) between baseline and follow-up assessment.
Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Change in BNP or NT-proBNP Levels
Lasso di tempo: Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Percent change in BNP or NT-proBNP levels between baseline and follow-up. Higher values indicate greater cardiac strain and worse prognosis.
Between 3 and 6 months after randomization
Time to Clinical Worsening
Lasso di tempo: From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Time from randomization to first occurrence of clinical worsening event as defined in the composite clinical worsening outcome.
From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Treatment Persistence
Lasso di tempo: From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Proportion of participants who remain on their initially assigned therapeutic strategy without permanent discontinuation by the follow-up visit.
From randomization through 6 months of follow-up
Safety and Adverse Events
Lasso di tempo: From randomization through 6 months
Incidence, type, and severity of adverse events and serious adverse events occurring during the study period.
From randomization through 6 months

Collaboratori e investigatori

Qui è dove troverai le persone e le organizzazioni coinvolte in questo studio.

Sponsor

University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Investigatori

  • Investigatore principale: Caio Fernandes, Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo

Studiare le date dei record

Queste date tengono traccia dell'avanzamento della registrazione dello studio e dell'invio dei risultati di sintesi a ClinicalTrials.gov. I record degli studi e i risultati riportati vengono esaminati dalla National Library of Medicine (NLM) per assicurarsi che soddisfino specifici standard di controllo della qualità prima di essere pubblicati sul sito Web pubblico.

Studia le date principali

Inizio studio (Stimato)

22 luglio 2026

Completamento primario (Stimato)

1 luglio 2028

Completamento dello studio (Stimato)

31 dicembre 2028

Date di iscrizione allo studio

Primo inviato

14 luglio 2026

Primo inviato che soddisfa i criteri di controllo qualità

14 luglio 2026

Primo Inserito (Effettivo)

20 luglio 2026

Aggiornamenti dei record di studio

Ultimo aggiornamento pubblicato (Effettivo)

30 luglio 2026

Ultimo aggiornamento inviato che soddisfa i criteri QC

28 luglio 2026

Ultimo verificato

1 luglio 2026

Maggiori informazioni

Termini relativi a questo studio

Parole chiave

Termini MeSH pertinenti aggiuntivi

Altri numeri di identificazione dello studio

  • CAAE: 97708926.6.0000.0068

Piano per i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)

Hai intenzione di condividere i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)?

INDECISO

Informazioni su farmaci e dispositivi, documenti di studio

Studia un prodotto farmaceutico regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Studia un dispositivo regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Queste informazioni sono state recuperate direttamente dal sito web clinicaltrials.gov senza alcuna modifica. In caso di richieste di modifica, rimozione o aggiornamento dei dettagli dello studio, contattare register@clinicaltrials.gov. Non appena verrà implementata una modifica su clinicaltrials.gov, questa verrà aggiornata automaticamente anche sul nostro sito web .

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