One way PHA Canada helps improve the diagnosis and management of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is by reaching out and collaborating with healthcare professionals (HCPs). HCPs play a key role in ensuring that PH is recognized and investigated promptly, so patients receive the appropriate care and treatment, regardless of the type of PH they have.   PHA Canada has built strong, long-term relationships with PH expert centres across Canada. These centres mainly treat people with Gr

On Saturday, October 25th, I attended the Scleroderma Association of BC’s 2025 AGM and conference. For those unfamiliar - like myself a few weeks ago - scleroderma and pulmonary hypertension have a very interesting relationship, which is why PHA Canada usually has a booth set up at this annual meeting. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that causes hardening and/or thickening of the skin and internal organs. Sound familiar? That’s because scleroderma patients are at risk of

A small study of patients with stable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were randomly assigned to either no exercise program or an exercise program using kettlebells three days per week for 8 weeks. The kettlebell group had improved functional capacity, quality of life, and physical activity level, and reduced fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety and depression. Read the Respiratory Medicine article

“I definitely believe there’s significant value in the right heart cath at diagnosis. It’s known to be the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension, providing the most accurate measurement of pulmonary artery pressures to determine if a patient has pulmonary hypertension.”
-- Nicole Dempsey For people living with pulmonary hypertension, right heart catheterizations are a necessary chapter in everyone's individual story. What do patients value about right heart cat

VANCOUVER, BC (Nov. 20, 2025) The Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada (PHA Canada) is delighted that the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) has successfully concluded negotiations on behalf of public drug payers for the price of Winrevair™ (sotatercept), a breakthrough treatment option for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a serious, complex, and potentially fatal rare lung disease. “This is great news for PAH patients. There is still a lot of work to d

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to heart failure -- Group 2 PH -- has, until now, been treated by treating the underlying heart failure. However, a recent Phase 2 clinical trial, called CADENCE, tried treating PH due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with sotatercept. Phase 2 trials are small trials which look at the safety of a drug and at whether it seems to work. Full data have not been published yet, but CADENCE successfully met its primary endpoin

November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month, but did you know that it’s also Financial Literacy Month  in Canada? The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada  – set up to protect consumers of financial products and services – is encouraging everyone to “Talk Money” this month. They’re hoping to help break down the stigma around financial discussions. PHA Canada has resources to help with financial literacy and financial assistance, too: Finance and PH resource list , detai

A study found that people taking infused prostacyclin analogues for pulmonary hypertension had a significantly lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, an eye problem that causes vision loss in older adults. The protection was robust -- patients using systemic prostacyclin analogues were about 60% less likely to develop several types of age-related macular degeneration -- and the effect was sustained over time. Read the Eye article

In April 2016, I found a lump on my leg, and like most adults, I ignored it for a couple of weeks. After seeing doctors, I did 6 weeks of oral antibiotics, 6 days of IV antibiotics, and 2 biopsies. They decided I needed to see a dermatologist. By the time I saw a dermatologist, the lump was gone, but he had an idea of what might have caused it, so he sent me for a chest X-ray. The X-ray showed an enlarged pulmonary trunk, and he sent me to a Cardiologist. The Cardiologist ord

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)  is a life-altering condition—but far too often, it remains underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and mismanaged. In a new episode of the eXpand  podcast by Respiplus  (Season 6), our Executive Director, Jamie Myrah , joins host Dr. Jean Bourbeau  to explore the complexities of PAH and its impact on patients across Canada. With nearly a decade of leadership at PHA Canada, Jamie brings the front-line perspective of patients, families, and care te

Through the Respite for All Pilot Project, led by SE Health and Greenshield Cares, caregivers across Canada who are working at least 30 hours per week can apply for 10 hours of free, home-based respite care. For this pilot program, respite care includes personal support care, help with activities of daily living, light home support, and companionship, but not clinical or regulated health services (nursing, providing injections, managing medical equipment, etc.) The pilot runs

Alberta has launched Lung Health Check, a new program using vans to bring pulmonary function tests to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Alberta. Patients won't need to travel long distances for pulmonary function tests -- the vans will bring the tests to them. This will save patients money as well as time, and will make ongoing pulmonary function monitoring easier. Patients can be as young as five years old, but the vans are not wheelchair-accessible so they must b

November marks Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Awareness Month , and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada (PHA Canada) is calling on Canadians to take action to raise awareness, advocate for access to a life-changing treatment, and fundraise in support of the PH community. This year’s theme, “Heart Under Pressure,”  shines a spotlight on the physical, emotional, and systemic pressures that come with living with PH—a progressive and potentially fatal disease affecting

As we know, pulmonary arterial hypertension patients' lungs don't make enough nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. But what if patients were given infusions of cells that were altered to produce blood vessel lining cells that would produce more nitric oxide in the lungs? Would it be a safe and effective treatment? The SAPPHIRE trial intended to find out. Participants randomly received either a placebo or an infusion of cells once a month for four months for a total of 80 mil

For very preterm babies, inhaled nitric oxide in the first week of life seems to help both persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and retinopathy. After the first week, though, inhaled nitric oxide wasn't associated with better outcomes. Inhaled nitric oxide could be reframed as multi-organ protection for very premature babies with PPHN. Read the Nature article

“This article captures the history and excellence of Canadian contributions to the field of pulmonary hypertension” Published in the Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine  in October 2025, the comprehensive paper History of Respiratory Medicine in Canada: Pulmonary hypertension  was clearly a labour of love. Authors Dr. Sanjay Mehta and Dr. Namisha Singh, with contributions from Jamie Myrah and Dr. Robert D. Levy, took two years to write it. Settl

When it comes to rare diseases, Canada’s healthcare and research systems weren’t built to keep up. That’s where the Canadian Rare Disease Network (CRDN)  steps in—a new initiative working to change the rare disease journey for millions across the country. With over 7,000 known rare diseases affecting more than 3 million people in Canada, patients and families often face long diagnostic delays, limited treatment options, and fragmented care. CRDN was launched in 2024 to connec

This study compared the costs of an 8-week centre-based pulmonary rehabilitation program to a virtual program. Costs and outcomes were...

Kate Salonga represents PHA Canada at the 2025 PH Professional Network Symposium hosted by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (US)....

This week, Statistics Canada released the results of their crowdsourced study on the lived experiences of Canadians (and their families...