The market for technologies designed to treat emphysema and its symptoms is heating up, according to the experts at the Millennium Research Group. The “medical technology market intelligence” company believes that there is a number of products that are working through the clinical trials that are expected to receive FDA approval sometimes in the next five to ten years. One potential treatment is the Biologic Lung Volume Reduction (BLVR) system from Aeris Therapeutics (Woburn, MA). The company’s system aims to slowly collapse diseased parts of the lungs through bronchoscopically delivered specialized injections (“proprietary mixture of drugs and biologics”), reducing the organ in size and improving the ventilation/perfusion relationships in patients with severe emphysema. As any medical student knows, improvement in a V/Q mismatch means improvement in oxygenation, and improvement in symptoms.
From the product page:
With BLVR, a physician uses a bronchoscope to direct treatment to the most damaged areas of the patient’s lungs. The treatment delivers a precisely proportioned proprietary mixture of drugs and biologics which, when combined at the treatment site, form a bioabsorbable gel. The gel is comprised of clotting proteins that deliver the treatment, an antibiotic to prevent infection and drugs designed to remodel damaged areas of the lungs—actually using the body’s natural scar formation response to permanently collapse the diseased areas. This reduction in lung volume creates more space for adjacent healthier parts of the lungs to function more effectively. The gel polymerizes quickly after delivery so it does not migrate to non-targeted areas of the lung. In addition, since no implant remains in the body, it obviates the risks of long-term infection, implant migration or tissue reaction.
Aeris Therapeutics has completed Phase 2 clinical trials of BLVR. Results indicate that BLVR is well tolerated and is associated with significant improvements in breathing function, symptoms and quality of life.
System info page: Biologic Lung Volume Reduction System
Press release: Broncus Technologies’ Exhale Stent and Other New Devices to Prompt Robust Growth In Emphysema Treatment Market, According to Millennium Research Group
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