– Lung fungal infections are an under-reported medical problem.
The air we breathe is something most people don’t know about. laden with the sporesThere are many types of molds and fungi. This is not a problem for the majority. The spores are either trapped in the mucus of our lungs and expelled or dealt with by our immune systems.
Many people are susceptible to allergic reactions and serious infections, especially if they have compromised immune systems.
CF is usually caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a spore-forming mould. The problem is particularly severe in CF patients. Approximately half of them require treatment for fungal infections in the lungs.
“This infection can cause an allergic reaction, known as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis or ABPA, that impairs lung function,”Dr. Richard Moss was the former chief for the Pediatric Pulmonary, Allergy and Research Divisions at Stanford University.
It has been hard to fight these fungal lung infections.
There are many oral anti-fungal medicines, like itraconazole. Problem is getting enough drug from the bloodstream to reach the lungs. High oral doses can have severe side effects and even liver toxicities if they are not sufficient for the lungs.
An alternative is to inhale the drug directly into the patient’s lungs. Due to limitations in dosing, standard inhalation technologies can’t do this.
A Massachusetts-based company has now developed a new, innovative technology. Pulmatrix(NASDAQ:PULM) – This uses small, dense particles. easily fly into the lungs. Itraconazole was added to the particles to make it more efficient to ship.
Preclinical research has already demonstrated that Pulmatrix’s experimental anti-fungal inhaled drug, Pulmatrix, can reach high drug concentrations within the lungs with low blood levels.
“This inhaled drug technology has great potential to treat serious fungal infections and the allergies those infections cause without the dangerous side effects and drug-drug interactions of using oral drugs,”Moss.
