A woman who spent more than two decades tethered to a life-saving pump is now living pump-free thanks to a breakthrough medication for a rare lung condition. Joyce Martin, 63, of Austintown, Ohio, was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in 2003, a disease that narrows the arteries in the lungs and forces the heart to work dangerously hard. For years, her only option was a continuous intravenous infusion delivered through a catheter under her collarbone, a pump she carried in her purse at all times.
That changed when Martin began treatment with Sotatercept, a new drug that pulmonologist Dr. Kristin Highland of the Cleveland Clinic calls “the most significant advancement” she has seen for this condition. Unlike older therapies that simply widen blood vessels, Sotatercept targets the underlying disease process by rebalancing proteins that control cell growth in the lungs. Martin responded so well to the medication that she no longer needed her IV pump. “I used to love to wear dresses,” Martin said. “With the pump, it was very difficult to find a dress. Now I know I can go get a dress if I want to wear one.”
Before Sotatercept, Martin’s treatment regimen was grueling. She carried a pump that required daily medication changes and could not be interrupted without risking her life. “If she fell out or her pump broke, it’s a very serious medication and limited her lifestyle,” Dr. Highland said. “You can’t go swimming when you’re connected to a pump.” Martin was nearing a lung transplant when the new drug became available. Now, after 23 years of living with the disease, she has left the pump behind entirely. “I really did think I was going to have that the rest of my life,” Martin said. “But you just choose joy every day.”
For patients like Martin, Sotatercept represents a shift from managing symptoms to altering the course of the disease. Clinical data suggest the drug can improve exercise capacity and delay disease progression. Dr. Highland noted that this class of therapy may help many other patients reduce or eliminate their dependence on continuous intravenous infusions. Martin’s story offers hope to the thousands living with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a condition that once carried a grim prognosis. “This is probably the most significant medical advancement that my patients have benefited from,” Dr. Highland said. As more patients gain access to the drug, doctors anticipate a new era in treatment where pumps and transplants become far less common.