Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors augment endogenous nitric oxide signalling, thereby restoring vascular reactivity to diseased blood vessels. Ghofrani and colleagues review the evolution of the PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil from a potential anti-angina drug, to an on-demand oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, and its recent re-positioning as a pulmonary hypertension therapeutic.
- Hossein A. Ghofrani
- Ian H. Osterloh
- Friedrich Grimminger