FDA warns that Leukemia drug Sprycel can lead to PAH

The FDA has issued a warning that treatment with Sprycel (dasatinib), from BMS, may increase the risk of a rare, but serious condition in which there is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). With PAH, the heart must work harder to pump the blood into the lungs and the overworked heart muscle may eventually weaken and lose its ability to pump enough blood through the lungs. Symptoms of PAH may include shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling of the body such as the ankles and legs. Since other medical conditions may also cause similar symptoms, in symptomatic patients, once other causes have been ruled out, a diagnosis of Sprycel-associated PAH should be considered.