Riociguat is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), an enzyme in the cardiopulmonary system and the receptor for nitric oxide. According to Prescribing Outlook – New Medicines, it represents an additional option for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and will therefore be additive to current costs. Current treatment options include prostacyclins, endothelin antagonists and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Riociguat is the first treatment to be specifically licensed for CTEPH.
The NHS Commissioning Board issued a Commissioning Policy Statement on targeted therapies for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in March 2013 – please see the link below for details.