UPDATE 1-Encysive gets Canadian approval for hypertension drug

(Adds details, share movement)

May 30 (Reuters) - Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. ENCY.O said its hypertension drug Thelin was approved by Canadian health regulators, sending its shares soaring more than 25 percent in after-market trade.

Shares of Encysive rose to $4.50 in late electronic trade, after closing at $3.59 Wednesday on the Nasdaq.

Thelin is the only once-daily oral treatment approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease characterized by high blood pressure and susceptibility to heart failure, the company said.

"Thelin has demonstrated a unique benefit for individuals who have developed (pulmonary arterial hypertension) as a result of a connective tissue disease, such as scleroderma," said Janet Pope, M.D., Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Western Ontario, as quoted by the company in its statement.

The drug is already approved for marketing in the European Union and is being evaluated by U.S. health regulators.

Encysive added that Canadian health regulators approved the 100 milligram dose of Thelin tablets.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension afflicts about 100,000 to 200,000 people in North America and Europe, the company said. (Reporting by Varsha Tickoo in Bangalore)