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FDA approves new drug for cystic fibrosis

Date:
January 31, 2012
Source:
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Summary:
The FDA's approval of ivacaftor for treatment of cystic fibrosis will provide substantial benefit for CF patients with the G551D mutation in CFTR, say investigators who conducted clinical trials on the drug.
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FULL STORY

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, ivacaftor -- marketed under the name Kalydeco. Kalydeco is approved for people with CF ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene.

"Today was a big day for the CF community," said Steven Rowe, M.D., MSPH, associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, who lead multiple studies of the new drug. "I believe this new therapy will substantially improve the lives of CF patients with the G551D mutation, and we hope that with appropriate testing it will also soon also be shown to help patients with other CFTR mutations as well."

The drug targets a defective chloride channel protein in patients with the G551D mutation, enabling that protein to function more efficiently.

Approximately 1,200 people in the United States, or 4 percent of those with CF, are believed to have the G551D mutation. In the studies, those who were treated with Kalydeco experienced significant and sustained improvements in lung function as well as other disease measures, including weight gain, frequency of hospitalization for CF respiratory problems, and certain quality-of-life measurements, compared to those who received placebo.

The majority of adverse events associated with Kalydeco were mild to moderate. Adverse events commonly observed included headache, upper respiratory tract infection or a common cold, stomach pain and diarrhea.


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Materials provided by University of Alabama at Birmingham. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

University of Alabama at Birmingham. "FDA approves new drug for cystic fibrosis." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 January 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131171816.htm>.
University of Alabama at Birmingham. (2012, January 31). FDA approves new drug for cystic fibrosis. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131171816.htm
University of Alabama at Birmingham. "FDA approves new drug for cystic fibrosis." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131171816.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

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