Soluble Guanylate Cyclase as an Emerging Therapeutic Target in Cardiopulmonary Disease

The concept of sGC stimulation as a treatment for cardiopulmonary disease has developed rapidly since its inception in the mid-1990s, and preclinical studies continue to shed new light on the properties of this drug class in a wide range of cardiopulmonary diseases (Figure 3). Riociguat, the first sGC stimulator to enter clinical development, has shown promising phase II results in CTEPH, PAH, and PH associated with interstitial lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas a phase II study of BAY 60-4552 has suggested that sGC stimulation may also have potential as a treatment for PH associated with biventricular heart failure. The ongoing phase III randomized controlled trials of riociguat in CTEPH and PAH are the first of many clinical studies of sGC stimulators. If successful, these studies will herald a new generation of treatments for cardiopulmonary disease. © 2011 American Heart Association, Inc.