Respiratory News
The Aerobika® device, which Monaghan Medical Corporation developed to ease symptoms of COPD, may also be effective in people with bronchiectasis, according to a study in the journal Academic Radiology. The device eases symptoms associated with excessive mucus in the airways. It opens up the lungs and creates vibrations in the chest, helping people expel mucus through the upper airways when they cough. In COPD, the device significantly reduced exacerbations after one month of use, in combination with COPD medications.
Research from the Journal of Experi- mental Medicine notes the reason why people with COPD lose the ability to repair damage to their lungs has not been fully understood. We can now blame molecule Wnt5a as the reason for irreversible damage to your lung sacs, airway narrowing and the development of emphysema. The molecule was found in the lungs of people with COPD involved in the study. Cigarette smoke and other factors can cause an increase in the production of the Wnt5a molecule. Using antibodies against the Wnt5a molecule actually slowed down lung destruction and better maintained lung function.
Canadian researchers found people with COPD who are involved and support each other after graduation from a pulmonary rehabilitation program may have better long- term health outcomes. Many participants endorsed the need for continued support after the program. Pulmonary rehabilitation improves exercise tolerance, muscle strength, physical activity, health-related quality of life and reduces exacerbations in people with COPD. Ask your physician about attend- ing a pulmonary rehabilitation program in your area.
GlaxoSmithKline and Innoviva have filed for approval in the United States of a new once-daily, triple combination therapy for maintenance treatment of COPD. The com- bination consists of three medicines: the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone furoate (Flonase®); a long-acting maintenance med- ication, umeclidinium; and long-acting be- ta2-adrenergic agonist Vilanterol. Studies showed significant improvements with the triple therapy compared with Symbicort in both lung function and health-related quality of life. There was also a significant and clini- cally meaningful reduction in the annual rate of moderate or severe exacerbations. The medication will be delivered in the Ellipta® dry powder inhaler. A regulatory filing in the EU is also planned in near future, with other submissions in other countries beginning next year.
InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced progress on its program in the use of canna- binoids for the treatment of COPD. InMed has demonstrated that certain cannabinoid compounds in marijuana are capable of affecting a specific protein relevant to healing and fibrosis in the lung. Cannabinoids exhib- it bronchodilatory, immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties and may offer safer and more effective treatment options for COPD.