Key clinical point: Patients on riociguat had greater improvement than did those on a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor.

Major finding: Forty-five patients (41%) who switched to riociguat had clinical improvement without clinical worsening versus 22 patient (20%) who stayed on the PDE5 inhibitor.

Study details: Data from the REPLACE trial, a randomized phase 4 study including 226 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension considered to be at intermediate risk.

Disclosures: The REPLACE study was cofunded by Bayer AG and Merck Sharpe & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck & Co. Dr. Hoeper reported receiving fees for consultations or lectures from Acceleron, Actelion, Bayer AG, Janssen, MSD, and Pfizer.