FDA approves new drug for serious heart condition

Drugmaker Merck recently won FDA approval for a new drug to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare heart condition that thickens blood vessel walls and causes heart failure, according to CNN Health. The drug, which Merck plans to market under the name Winrevair, is designed to slow or stop disease progress, and could prolong the lifespans of PAH sufferers. Without treatment, most PAH patients survive about two to three years after diagnosis.