Tens of thousands of patients with a debilitating, incurable lung disease could soon benefit from an innovative drug that reduces painful symptoms and the risk of dangerous infections.
More than 200,000 people in the UK have bronchiectasis, where the airways in the lungs widen, causing a build-up of mucus.
Patients often experience a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, and are vulnerable to life-threatening insects.
More than 200,000 people in the UK have bronchiectasis, where the airways in the lungs widen, causing a build-up of mucus.
The lung damage is permanent and there are currently no NHS approved treatments.
But a groundbreaking study, published last week, found that a daily pill can significantly limit the damage caused by bronchiectasis. The tablet, called brensocatib, blocks cells that trigger inflammation in the lungs.
Trial participants who took the tablet saw a 20 percent reduction in cough symptoms and their risk of respiratory infections was reduced by 25 percent. Experts hailed the trial as a game-changer for NHS bronchiectasis care and predicted it could be available in the Health Service within two years.
Bronchiectasis can be caused by several conditions, including pneumonia or whooping cough.
It can also occur as a result of an allergic reaction to a certain type of fungus called aspergillus.
It is also a common complication of cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs.
However, all patients with bronchiectasis will experience mucus build-ups.
This is dangerous because insects can easily populate the mucus, increasing the risk of a lung infection. Around 1,500 people die from bronchiectasis each year in the UK.
It is most common in people over 80 and women are more likely to be affected than men. NHS patients may be given special exercises and devices to clear mucus from the lungs.
Doctors may also prescribe antibiotics to clear up an infection. However, there is no drug available that can combat bronchiectasis itself.
In the new international trial, which involved 1,600 adults from 35 countries, participants received two brensocatib tablets daily.
It is known as a DPP1 inhibitor, which means it blocks the production of harmful inflammatory cells in the lungs, which can further widen the airways. Patients received a 10 mg tablet, a 25 mg tablet, or a dummy treatment, known as a placebo. Those who received brensocatib 10 mg saw about a 20 percent reduction in cough episodes and a 25 percent reduction in respiratory infections.
Patients with bronchiectasis often experience a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, and are vulnerable to life-threatening microbes.
Patients taking the 25 mg tablet, developed by US pharmaceutical firm Insmed, experienced about the same response rate.
The drug was well tolerated and the most common side effect was headache.
“The treatment appears to be very safe,” said Professor James Chalmers, an expert in respiratory diseases and principal investigator of the trial, from the University of Dundee.
‘The rate of this disease has increased by 40 percent in the last ten years, so it is important to find treatments. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma often overlap with bronchiectasis and are even more common.
“So it would be interesting to see if these treatments can be used.”