Epoprostenol (Veletri®, Caripul®): a review of its use in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

A bioequivalent formulation of intravenous epoprostenol containing the excipients arginine and sucrose (epoprostenol AS) (Veletri®, Caripul®) is approved in the USA, UK, and other countries for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and has improved thermal stability compared with epoprostenol containing glycine and mannitol (epoprostenol GM) (Flolan®). Epoprostenol, a synthetic prostacyclin, is a potent pulmonary vasodilator. Epoprostenol GM was originally approved for use as a long-term continuous infusion in patients with PAH nearly 20 years ago in the USA; however, this formulation has limited stability at room temperature, and requires the use of cooling or frequent medication changes during administration. The prolonged thermal stability of epoprostenol AS compared with epoprostenol GM allows for its extended administration at room temperature and/or refrigerated storage of prepared solutions. This article summarizes the pharmacology of epoprostenol AS and reviews its therapeutic use in adult patients with PAH. In clinical trials, epoprostenol AS provided sustained efficacy in terms of hemodynamic and symptomatic outcomes, and was generally well tolerated after transitioning from stable epoprostenol GM therapy and during an open-label extension study. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the treatment convenience with epoprostenol AS compared with epoprostenol GM. Therefore, epoprostenol AS is a valuable therapeutic option that has the potential to overcome some of the limitations of long-term intravenous epoprostenol therapy in patients with PAH.