Empagliflozin for right heart function in pulmonary arterial hypertension
1/2 Empagliflozin to Improve Right Ventricular Function in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
This project will see if empagliflozin, a diabetes drug, can help the right side of the heart work better in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11199033 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would be randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin or a matching placebo without knowing which one you get, and your care team also will be masked to treatment. The team will follow participants over time with heart imaging, blood tests (including BNP and metabolic markers like palmitate to acetylcarnitine ratio), and functional measures to watch right ventricular function and symptoms. The trial builds on lab and clinical findings that SGLT2 inhibitors help heart metabolism and may lower pressures that strain the right heart. The goal is to see whether adding empagliflozin to usual PAH care improves how the right ventricle performs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension who can attend clinic visits and meet the trial's medical criteria.
Not a fit: People without PAH or those with contraindications to SGLT2 inhibitors (for example, certain severe kidney problems) would not be expected to benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve right ventricular function, symptoms, and possibly outcomes for people with PAH.
How similar studies have performed: SGLT2 drugs like empagliflozin have improved outcomes in left heart failure and showed promise in experimental PAH, but applying them specifically to right ventricular function in PAH is a newer clinical approach.
Where this research is happening
Cleveland, United States
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru — Cleveland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heresi Davila, Gustavo Adolfo — Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
- Study coordinator: Heresi Davila, Gustavo Adolfo
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.