Pulmonary Hypertension Association Names Dr. Nicholas Hill Recipient of 2009 Award...

Pulmonary Hypertension Association Names Dr. Nicholas Hill Recipient of 2009
Award of Excellence in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Care

SILVER SPRING, Md., BOSTON and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 18
/PRNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), Tufts Medical
Center, and Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., today announced Dr. Nicholas
Hill of Tufts Medical Center as the recipient of the 2009 PHA Award of
Excellence in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Care. The grant, in the
amount of $50,000, will be awarded to Tufts Medical Center to support
continued excellence in care for patients with PAH. The award, supported by an
unrestricted educational grant from Actelion, was presented at the 2009
International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in San Diego.

"Dr. Hill has dedicated his career to improving the lives of patients with
PAH," said Michael McGoon, MD, Professor of Medicine and Consultant in
Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and chair of the Independent
Award Selection Committee. "His passionate desire to better the lives of
patients, and his consistent excellence in PAH clinical research and medical,
epitomize the spirit of the PHA. We are pleased to present this award in
recognition of his devotion."

The PHA Award of Excellence in PAH Care is designed to honor and acknowledge
healthcare professionals who are committed to improving outcomes for patients
with PAH. It is awarded annually to outstanding care providers for clinical
practice excellence in the area of PAH.

"The Pulmonary Hypertension Association Award of Excellence encourages
advances in both patient care and research in the area of PAH, a serious
condition that continues to be under-recognized and under-treated," said Rino
Aldrighetti, president of PHA. "In recent years, the picture for patients with
PAH has brightened due to improved patient care and treatment options. PHA
believes that this annual award - in conjunction with its significant
financial support for the recipient's work - shines a spotlight on this
disease and contributes to ongoing development of effective PAH therapies. We
congratulate Dr. Hill for his long history of achievements on behalf of PH
patients and are pleased to provide this well-deserved recognition."

This year's award recipient was selected by the 2009 PHA Award Steering
Committee, comprised of: Michael McGoon, MD, professor of medicine at the Mayo
Clinic College of Medicine and consultant to the Division of Cardiovascular
Disease at the Mayo Clinic, chair of the PHA Award Steering Committee; David
Badesch, MD, professor of medicine in the Divisions of Pulmonary Sciences and
Critical Care Medicine, and Cardiology, and the clinical director of the
Pulmonary Hypertension Center at the University of Colorado; Linda Carr,
parent of a PH patient and secretary of PHA's Board of Trustees; Gregory
Elliott, MD, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Intermountain Medical Center
and professor of medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine; Jack
Stibbs, parent of a PH patient and past PHA board chair; and Joanne
Sperando-Schmidt, PH patient. Criteria in selecting the recipients included:
proven resources required for excellence in PAH patient care, service to the
local community, and consistent provision of cutting-edge options for patients
living with PAH.

About Dr. Hill
Nicholas S. Hill, M.D. is chief of the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep
Division at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, professor of medicine at Tufts
University, and adjunct professor of medicine at Brown Medical School. An
active clinician, he directs the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Tufts
Medical Center, as well as the Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at
New England Sinai Rehabilitation Center. His research interests include
pulmonary vascular biology, clinical pulmonary hypertension and non-invasive
ventilation.

Dr. Hill currently serves as ATS secretary-treasurer and will serve as ATS
president from 2011 to 2012. Dr. Hill is a member of the Strategic Planning
Committee and the Assembly on Critical Care's Planning and Program Committees.
He has served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine, chaired the Program Committees of the Assemblies
on Pulmonary Circulation and Critical Care and served on the Research Review
and Coordinating Committees and the Council of Chapter Representatives.

About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is dedicated to finding ways to
prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension, and to provide hope for the pulmonary
hypertension community through support, education, advocacy and awareness. The
vision of PHA is to improve the lives of those affected by pulmonary
hypertension. More information about PHA is available at
www.phassociation.org.

About Actelion Pharmaceuticals
Actelion Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in
Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland. Actelion's first drug Tracleer(R), an orally
available dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved as a therapy
for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer(R) through its
own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide, including the United States (based
in South San Francisco), the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and
Switzerland. Actelion, founded in late 1997, is a leading player in innovative
science related to the endothelium - the single layer of cells separating
every blood vessel from the blood stream. Actelion's over 2000 employees focus
on the discovery, development and marketing of innovative drugs for
significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss
Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss
Market Index SMI(R)).

About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 451-bed academic
medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and
Floating Hospital for Children. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the
Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School
of Medicine. Floating Hospital for Children is the full-service children's
hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital
of Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, please visit
www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org.

SOURCE Pulmonary Hypertension Association; Tufts Medical Center; Actelion
Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.

Sherrie Borden of Pulmonary Hypertension Association, +1-240-485-0778,
sherrie@PHAssociation.org; or Danielle Bertrand of WeissComm Partners,
+1-415-946-1056, dbertrand@wcpglobal.com, for Actelion; or Julie Jette of
Tufts Medical Center, +1-617-636-3265, jjette@tuftsmedicalcenter.org