The new drug called Letairis, generically known as ambrisentan, is made by Gilead Sciences Inc. a Foster City, California based company. The company said the drug would be available next week to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Arterial hypertension causes continuous high blood pressure in the arteries that carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs. As the arteries narrow, the heart must pump harder, which weakens it with time. Nearly 100,000 people in the United States suffer from this condition.
According to AP reports, the FDA also warned that the new drug could cause birth defects and shouldn't be used by women who are pregnant or those who are trying to conceive.
Additionally, the drug can also cause liver damage and FDA advised all patients taking the once-daily tablets to undergo compulsory monthly blood tests to check for injury to the liver.
Other approved medications to treat the condition include Tracleer and Revatio, a lower dose of the same key ingredient in the impotency pill Viagra.
Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. - another manufacturer is also awaiting FDA's decision on whether its drug Thelin, or sitaxsentan sodium is approved to treat the same condition had been approved.
