Pharmacodynamic Effects of Riociguat in Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Inclusion Criteria: * 18 to \<80 years of age at the time of informed consent (The lower age limit may be higher if legally required in participating countries.) * Male and female subjects with symptomatic PH and HF-PEF (group 2 / 2.2 of Dana Point classification(4) and WHO class II to IV) (Other groups of PH, especially HF-REF, PAH, CTEPH, must have been ruled out according to accepted diagnostic procedures and guidelines, see section 5.1.2 Exclusion criteria.) * PH-HF-PEF defined as: * LVEF ≥50%, diagnosed by echocardiography or left heart catheterization (LHC) within 30 days before randomization * PAPmean ≥25 mmHg at rest, measured by RHC * PAWP \>15 mmHg at rest, measured by RHC * Optimized therapy for hypertension * The dose regimen of the background treatment must have been stable for \>30 days before randomization. Diuretic therapy must have been stable for ≥1 week. * RHC results for the definite diagnosis of PH not older than 12 weeks at Visit 1. RHC must have been performed in the participating center under standardized conditions * CMRI must be performed at Visit 1 (baseline) or must not be older than 12 weeks with all parameters measured as listed in Section 7.3.3 * Women are eligible if not of childbearing potential, defined as: * Postmenopausal women (i.e. last menstrual bleeding at least 2 years before randomization) * Women with bilateral tubal ligation * Women with bilateral ovariectomy * Women with hysterectomy or, if of childbearing potential, women are eligible if * A serum pregnancy test is negative at the pre-study visit, and The woman uses a combination of condoms and a safe and highly effective contraception method (hormonal contraception with implants or combined oral contraceptives, certain intrauterine devices) for the entire duration of the study. * Able to understand and follow instructions and to participate in the study for its entire duration * Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * PH in groups other than group 2.2 according to Dana Point classification.(4) In particular, PAH, CTEPH, and HF-REF must have been ruled out according to accepted diagnostic procedures and guidelines. * Cardiac decompensation, with hospitalization or visit to the emergency department, ≤30 days before randomization * Left heart disease because of to ischemic heart disease or dilated cardiomyopathy * Resynchronization therapy at any time * Need for intravenous (IV) diuretics ≤30 days before randomization * Treatment with inotropes or IV vasodilators ≤30 days before randomization * Pre-treatment with endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, or prostanoids ≤30 days before randomization, or with nitrates ≤7 days before randomization * Subjects who medically require treatment with drugs that are not in line with the in- or exclusion criteria of this study or that are prohibited concomitant medications (see section 6.9) for this study * Bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) \<60% of predicted * Restrictive lung disease with total lung capacity (TLC) \<60% of predicted * Subjects on oxygen therapy * Severe congenital abnormalities of the lung, thorax, or diaphragm * Clinically relevant hepatic dysfunction shown by: * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≥3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) or * Child Pugh stage B and C in cirrhotic subjects * Severe renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate \[GFR\] \<30mL/min/1.73 m2 calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease \[MDRD\] formula) * Uncontrolled arterial hypertension (SBP \>180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \[DBP\] \>110 mmHg) * SBP \<110 mmHg at baseline * Myocardial disease, such as ischemic or dilative infiltrative myocardial disease (i.e. amyloidosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) * Severe aortic or mitral stenosis, or any such stenosis with indication for surgery * Coronary artery disease with angina of Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class III or IV or requiring nitrates, unstable angina, or acute myocardial infarction \<90 days before randomization * Reperfusion procedure (percutaneous coronary intervention \[PCI\] or coronary artery bypass graft \[CABG\]) \<90 days before randomization, or \<21 days in case of a negative stress test effect after PCI * Stroke with persistent neurological deficit * Subjects positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) * Resting HR while awake of \<50 beats per minute (BPM) or \>105 BPM (in case of atrial fibrillation \>110 BPM) * Participation in another clinical study \<90 days before randomization * Subjects with a medical disorder, condition, or history thereof that in the opinion of the investigator would impair the subject's ability to participate or complete the 26-week study * Subjects with underlying medical disorders with an anticipated life expectancy below 2 years because of a non-cardiac disease (e.g. active cancer disease with localized and / or metastasized tumor mass) * Subjects with a history of multiple drug allergies * Subjects with hypersensitivity to the investigational drug or any of the excipients * Previous assignment to treatment during this study