The trial involved sildenafil -- marketed as Viagra when it is used to treat erectile dysfunction and Revatio when used for pulmonary arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs. Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters. People with sickle cell disease have an average of two so-called "crises" a year, involving severe pain and. "We were very excited about this drug. Forteo Approved for Drug-Related Osteoporosis New Anesthesia May Be Safer for Critically Ill Drug Might Restore Sense of Smell Questions Rise After Mayne Jackson's Death 'Easter Island' Drug Adds Years to Mice Want More News.

"This was a very big disappointment," said Dr. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Mark Gladwin, lead investigator of the study, which was sponsored by the U.S. It has a very high safety profile and has worked in every form of pulmonary hypertension. "It's the highest risk of death, so it's a very important complication," said Gladwin, who is director of the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.

The preliminary data sho a lowering in pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell patients." Pulmonary hypertension affects as many as 30% of people with sickle cell disease.