Two lives: before and after Tracleer®

patient story
Olivier Sitbon, MD, Center of
Pulmonary Vascular Diseases,
Hôpital Antoine Béclère,
Clamart, France, and Pierre N.
Pierre N, a 42-year-old art dealer in Paris and the father of two children, ages 16 and 5, couldn’t explain what was happening to him. He began experiencing bouts of breathlessness that became more and more severe, several times resulting in a temporary loss of consciousness.

In September 1996, a cardiologist diagnosed Pierre with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and referred him to the French Expert Centre for PAH at Antoine Béclère Hospital for further examinations. While his exercise capacity was quite satisfactory, pulmonary hemodynamics showed severe pulmonary hypertension with a mean pulmonary artery pressure of 60 mmHg and a low cardiac output.

Pierre willingly accepted intravenous infusion of epoprostenol – the only available therapy at the time – and exercise capacity and pulmonary hemodynamics showed marked improvement.

In October 2002, Pierre was still on epoprostenol. During those five years of therapy, he suffered seven catheter-related infections and had to live everyday with a portable infusion pump and an intravenous line into his chest. With his morale at a very low ebb, he pleaded with his physicians to find a new therapy.

Tracleer® (bosentan), a breakthrough treatment for PAH available as an oral tablet, had just been launched in France. Given the stability of his condition, Pierre was a good candidate for switching treatment. After ensuring that he experienced no adverse effects with Tracleer®, his doctors gradually reduced doses of epoprostenol over a 12-month period.

Since December 2003, Pierre has been taking Tracleer® only. His condition is stable and the treatment is well tolerated. When asked to describe the personal impact of this new therapy, Pierre responds: “It was like two different lives. With my previous treatment, I was depressed, my self-image was poor and I stopped working. With Tracleer®, I have resumed my professional activity. I lead a normal, active life and I feel good about myself. It makes all the difference in the world.”