Bosentan Reduced Occurrence of Digital Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis

The clinical utility of bosentan treatment for digital ulcer prevention in SSc “may be challenged,” the authors wrote. “In a patient encountered with a single [digital ulcer], initiation of bosentan would not be expected to facilitate healing, and at least 66% of all bosentan-treated subjects would develop at least one additional [digital ulcer] over 6 months of follow-up.” However, they noted, bosentan treatment offers greater potential benefit to patients who present with multiple digital ulcers. In this regard, the treatment “may be a useful adjunct in the management of patients with [SSc] and recurrent [digital ulcers].”

This study was funded by Actelion Pharmaceuticals. The authors disclosed financial relationships with Actelion, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline Beecham, Encysive, Genzyme, Aspreva, Biovitrum, DiGNA, Gilead, MediQuest, Centocor, FibroGen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lilly, and United Therapeutics.