Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Multicenter, Parallel Group Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Bosentan in Patients With Symptomatic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated With Sickle Cell Disease
Brief Summary: The study will assess the effect of bosentan on pulmonary vascular resistance and exercise capacity in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension. It consists of 3 phases: Screening, Treatment and Follow-up. During the Screening visit, the study doctor will decide if patients meet the study requirements. All potential patients will have a diagnosis of increased pulmonary artery pressures that is shown by right heart catheterization conducted shortly prior to start of study treatment. Patients will be asked to perform exercise capacity test (walking as far as possible for 6 minutes). Following the Baseline visit, the treatment phase consists of 4 additional clinic visits during which the good and bad effects of the drug are reviewed and exercise capacity test will be repeated. Patients will be treated for 16 weeks. Blood samples will be collected every month, or more often, if needed. At the end of the study, patients will be asked to repeat the right heart catheterization and exercise capacity test. After completion of the study, patients will have the option of enrolling in a long-term follow-up study where all patients will receive active drug. Patients electing not to participate in the extension study will be followed up for safety assessments for about 28 days after the end of the study treatment.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria: Screening Criteria:

1. Males or females ≥ 12 years of age with a documented history of SCD
2. Patients with symptomatic PAH associated with shortness of breath
3. Patients with tricuspid regurgitation jet (TRJ) velocity of \> 2.9 m/sec based on echo/Doppler conducted within 6 months prior to randomization and not during SCD crisis
4. Signed written informed consent is obtained from the patient or patient's parent/legal representative prior to initiation of any study related procedure

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with hemoglobin (Hb) SS or Hb S/β0 genotype and with Hb A ≤ 10%
2. Six-minute walk test (6MWT) distance ≥ 150 m and ≤ 450 m
3. PAH confirmed by right heart catheterization (RHC) performed at the study site within 3 months of the randomization visit and defined as:

   * Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≥ 25 mmHg
   * Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) ≤ 15 mmHg measured by RHC or left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) ≤ 15 mmHg measured by left heart catheterization, if PCWP measurement is not reliable
   * Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at rest ≥ 160 dyn.sec/cm5
4. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative result on their serum pregnancy test and use reliable methods of contraception during study treatment and for 3 months after study treatment termination

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Left ventricular ejection fraction \< 40% (echo/Doppler)
2. Systolic blood pressure \< 85 mmHg
3. Uncontrolled hypertension with systolic blood pressure \>160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mmHg
4. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second divided by forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) \< 0.5
5. Total lung capacity (TLC) \< 50% of normal predicted value
6. Significant cardiac disease: ischemic, valvular, constrictive
7. Hemoglobin concentration \< 6.0 g/dL at the time of randomization
8. Acute liver disease
9. Evidence of cirrhosis or portal hypertension on a liver ultrasound or biopsy
10. ALT ≥ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) and/or albumin \< 2.8 g/dL
11. Acute or chronic impairment (other than dyspnea), limiting the ability to comply with study requirements (in particular with 6MWT), e.g., angina pectoris, intermittent claudication, symptomatic hip osteonecrosis
12. Vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) or acute chest syndrome (ACS) within 2 weeks of randomization or more than 12 VOC and/or ACS within the last 12 months
13. Blood transfusion within 4 weeks prior to randomization
14. Illness with a life expectancy shorter than 6 months
15. HIV with opportunistic infection
16. Psychotic, addictive, or other disorder limiting the ability to provide informed consent or to comply with study requirements
17. Pregnant or lactating women
18. Recently started (\< 8 weeks prior to randomization) or planned, exercise-based cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation program
19. Bone marrow transplantation
20. Treatment or planned treatment with another investigational drug within 3 months prior to randomization
21. Treatment for pulmonary hypertension with an endothelin receptor antagonist, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, prostanoids (excluding acute administration during a catheterization procedure to test vascular reactivity) within 3 months prior to randomization or with L-arginine within 1 week prior to randomization
22. Treatment with calcineurin-inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine A and tacrolimus), sirolimus, fluconazole, amiodarone, miconazole and glibenclamide (glyburide) within 1 week prior to randomization
23. Known hypersensitivity to bosentan or any of its excipients
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Subjects:

  * not participating in the hemodynamic sub-study: males or females ≥ 12 years of age.
  * participating in the hemodynamic sub-study: males or females ≥ 18 years of age.
* Subjects (including those with Down Syndrome \[DS\]) with confirmed Eisenmenger Syndrome \[ES\] (European Society of Cardiology \[ESC\] and the European Respiratory Society \[ERS\] guidelines):

  1. Established by echocardiography as:

     * Large congenital shunting defect at atrial, ventricular or arterial level\*
     * and right to left shunt or bi-directional shunt with prevalent right to left direction.
  2. Resting peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤ 90% and \> 70% (pulse oximetry, room air).

The lower limit is 65% if a subject is living at an altitude greater than 2500 m above sea level.

\*Subjects with any of the following open defects are eligible for the study either as an isolated defect or in combination:

* atrial septal defect (ASD)
* ventricular septal defect (VSD)
* partial or complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD)
* patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
* aortopulmonary window (AP window)
* total or partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR, PAPVR) The defects may be either unoperated or previously palliated surgically (provided significant residual defect remains).

The Steering Committee will review the echocardiography data of all subjects (main study and sub study) to confirm eligibility prior to Randomization.

* Subjects with the following findings at cardiac catheterization:

  * Mean resting pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) \> 25 mmHg
  * Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) or mean left atrial pressure (LAP) or left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVED) ≤ 15 mmHg
  * Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) ≥ 800 dyn∙s/cm5 or ≥ 10 Wood units
* Subjects with WHO functional class ≥ II.
* Subjects able to reliably perform the the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) with a minimum distance of 50 m and a maximum distance of 450 m.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Main study and hemodynamic sub-study: Any of the following conditions previously known or identified via cardiac catheterization or echocardiography:

* Pulmonary arterial or venous stenosis \> 25% size of native pulmonary artery (PA) or pulmonary vein
* Severe tricuspid regurgitation in the setting of left to right shunt at the ventricular or atrial level
* Greater than mild tricuspid stenosis
* Intracavitary RV outflow obstruction
* Greater than mild mitral stenosis
* Intracavitary LV outflow obstruction
* Subvalvular or supravalvular aortic stenosis
* Aortic coarctation
* Greater than moderate mitral regurgitation
* Recognized extracardiac systemic venous collaterals to the pulmonary venous circulation
* Recognized hepatic wedge pressure-inferior vena cava pressure gradient \>12 mm Hg
* PCWP "v" waves \>20 mmHg
* Tetralogy of Fallot
* Truncus arteriosus
* Interrupted aortic arch
* Transposition of great arteries
* Single ventricle defects: absent AV connection (mitral or tricuspid atresia), double inlet AV connections left or right ventricle, functional univentricular heart (unbalanced AVSD, hypoplastic RV, double outlet RV), hypoplastic left heart syndrome
* Ebstein's anomaly
* Severe aortic regurgitation
* Pulmonary atresia
* PAPVR or TAPVR, ONLY if there is lung hypoplasia or if documentation confirming the absence of lung hypoplasia does not exist.

For subjects participating in the hemodynamic sub-study the following will also be considered exclusion criteria:

* SVC stenosis \>25% size of native vessel
* PDA, AP window, TAPVR, PAPVR, or ASD sinus venosus with anomalous pulmonary veins
* Down Syndrome

  * Subjects with deterioration of their clinical status within 3 months prior to Screening or during the Screening period.
  * Known moderate-to-severe restrictive (i.e., total lung capacity \[TLC\] \< 60% of predicted value) or obstructive lung disease (i.e., forced expiratory volume in one second \[FEV1\] \< 80 % of predicted value, and with FEV1 / forced vital capacity \[FVC\] \< 70%)
  * Treatment with prostanoids within 1 month prior to Randomization
  * Subjects who initiated a PDE-5 inhibitor within 1 month prior to Randomization or those on a PDE-5 inhibitor for whom the dose has not been stable within 1 month prior to Randomization
  * Treatment with endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) within 1 month prior to Randomization
  * Subjects who initiated diuretics within 1 week prior to Randomization or subjects whose diuretic treatment has not been stable for at least 1 week prior to Randomization
  * Subjects being considered for an organ transplant
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Normal healthy subjects aged 18 - 55 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy
* Heart, lung or liver disease
* Use of glyburide, cyclosporin A
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Signed informed consent prior to initiation of any study-mandated procedure
2. Males or females \>=12 years of age (except for countries where this age limit is contrary to specific regulatory requirements).

   - Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pretreatment pregnancy test and must use a reliable method of contraception during study treatment and for at least 3 months after study treatment termination.

   ·Reliable methods of contraception are:

   O Barrier type devices (e.g., female condom, diaphragm, contraceptive sponge) only in combination with a spermicide.

   O Intrauterine devices. O Oral, transdermal, injectable or implantable contraceptives only in combination with a barrier method.
   * Hormone-based contraceptives alone, regardless of the route of administration, are not considered as reliable methods of contraception.
   * Abstention, rhythm method, and contraception by the partner alone are not acceptable methods of contraception.

     * Women not of childbearing potential are defined as postmenopausal (i.e., amenorrhea for at least 1 year), or documented surgically or naturally sterile.
3. Patients with symptomatic PAH
4. Patients with the following types of PAH belonging to WHO Group I:

   * Idiopathic (IPAH)
   * Familial (FPAH)
   * Associated with (APAH):

     i. Collagen vascular disease with normal left ventricular function (ejection fraction (EF) \> 50%) ii. Congenital systemic-to-pulmonary shunts at least 2 years post surgical repair iii. Drugs and toxins
5. PAH diagnosed by right heart catheter showing:

   * Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) \>= 25 mm Hg AND
   * Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) =\< 15 mm Hg or left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) =\< 15 mmHg If both PCWP and LVEDP are available then the LVEDP value is retained for inclusion.
6. Treatment with a stable dose of sildenafil equal to or greater than 20 mg t.i.d. for at least 12 weeks prior to randomization (no sildenafil dosage adjustment should occur in this period) 7)150 m =\< 6-minute walk test (6MWT) =\< 480 m, documented by 2 tests with second 6MWT within 15% of first 6MWT distance or a third test required

Exclusion Criteria :

1. PAH belonging to WHO group II-V
2. PAH associated with portal hypertension and HIV infection
3. PAH associated with thyroid disorders, glycogen storage disease, Gaucher disease, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, hemoglobinopathies, myeloproliferative disorders and splenectomy
4. PAH associated with significant venous or capillary involvement (PCWP \> 15 mmHg): pulmonary veno-occlusive disease and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis
5. Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
6. Significant valvular disease with valvular lesions to be excluded by echocardiogram within 2 years prior to randomization (i.e. patients with tricuspid or pulmonary insufficiency secondary to PAH can be included)
7. Restrictive lung disease: total lung capacity (TLC) \< 60% of normal predicted value (see Appendix 3)
8. Obstructive lung disease: forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) \< 0.5
9. Moderate to severe hepatic impairment, i.e., Child-Pugh Class B or C
10. Known HIV infection
11. Acute or chronic impairment (other than dyspnea), limiting the ability to comply with study requirements or that may interfere with the safety or the evaluation of the study, such as chronic infection, chronic renal failure etc.
12. Psychotic, addictive or other disorder limiting the ability to provide informed consent or to comply with study requirements
13. Pregnancy or breast-feeding
14. Condition that prevents compliance with the protocol or adherence to therapy
15. Systolic blood pressure \< 85 mmHg
16. Body weight \< 40 kg
17. Hemoglobin \<75% of the lower limit of the normal range
18. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and/or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \> 1.5 times the upper limit of normal ranges
19. Known hypersensitivity or history of drug-related adverse events with bosentan (e.g. increase in liver function test results), or any of the excipients of its formulation
20. Receipt of an investigational product other than sildenafil within 3 months before start of study treatment
21. Treatment with endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), prostanoids or phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors other than sildenafil within 3 months prior to randomization
22. Concomitant systemic treatment within 1 week prior to randomization with

    * calcineurin inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine A and tacrolimus), sirolimus and everolimus
    * glibenclamide (glyburide)
    * both cytochrome P2C9 (CYP2C9) and cytochrome P3A4 (CYP3A4) (e.g., fluconazole, amiodarone, voriconazole)
    * combination of drugs that inhibit CYP2C9 and CYP3A4
23. Treatment with nitrates and alpha-blockers at time of randomization
24. In the opinion of the investigator - patients in need for treatment with any prostanoid up to Visit 4
25. Significant left ventricular dysfunction

Answer: A