Fibrosis Patients Who used Pulmozyme Experienced A Slower Rate Of Lung Function Decline And An Immediate Improvement In Lung Function

November 13, 2006 – 1:19 pm | posted in Cystic Fibrosis, Respiratory / Asthma

Data presented this past Friday at the North America Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Denver showed that cystic fibrosis patients who used Pulmozyme experienced a slower rate of lung function decline and an immediate improvement in lung function, as compared to cystic fibrosis patients not treated with Pulmozyme. This data is important because progressive lung dysfunction and deterioration in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) contributes to respiratory failure which causes 90% of all all deaths associated with the disease.

CF is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. People diagnosed with CF have a genetic defect that cause thick secretions in the lungs that can lead to airway obstruction, persistent lung infections and progressive deterioration of lung function.

Abstract information is outlined below. Spokespeople are available for comment on the significance of this study.

DATA FROM COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS SHOWS PULMOZYMEÂ® SLOWS DECLINE OF LUNG FUNCTION

ABSTRACT TITLE:

The abstract, titled “PulmozymeÂ® (dornase alfa) Use is Associated with a Slower Rate of Lung Function Decline in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis,” was presented on November 3, 2006 at the North America Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Denver, Colorado. The author of the study is Dr. Michael Konstan, M.D., Director of LeRoy W. Matthews Cystic Fibrosis Center at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PulmozymeÂ® (dornase alfa, recombinant) Inhalation Solution in the clinical setting to assess the relationship of Pulmozyme use and the rate of decline in the lung function of cystic fibrosis patients.

ABSTRACT METHOD:

This evaluation was conducted by reviewing patient data from the Epidemiologic Study of Cystic Fibrosis (ESCF) Phase IV multi-center, prospective, observational study. To conduct the analysis, the rate of decline in lung function was evaluated in 1,991 cystic fibrosis patients who had not received Pulmozyme for two years (baseline period), received Pulmozyme and then remained on Pulmozyme for 80% of the time for the following two years (follow-up period), compared to 3,108 cystic fibrosis patients who never received Pulmozyme.

ABSTRACT RESULTS:

The abstract results show cystic fibrosis patients who were treated during a two-year period with PulmozymeÂ® (dornase alfa, recombinant) Inhalation Solution experienced a slower rate of lung function decline and an immediate improvement in lung function, as compared to cystic fibrosis patients not treated with Pulmozyme.

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