Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease
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The life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis (CF), a lethal inherited disease, has been greatly extended by advances in therapy. Currently, there are a number of potential drugs for treatment of CF lung disease in clinical trials. These therapies are targeted at all points in the pathogenesis of lung disease, from gene transfer to drugs that treat mucus, infection and inflammation in the airways. ⋯ Anti-inflammatory therapy is also of great interest in CF and there are several candidate drugs in clinical trials. A number of antibacterial agents formulated for inhalation are at various stages of study or newly approved, which should improve options for chronic management of airway infection. Hopefully, many of these potential therapies will come to market and will further extend the life expectancy of people with CF.