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Scientific data has demonstrated that
the therapeutic use of surfactants in aerosol form have
the ability to re-establish airway patency, improve
pulmonary mechanics and act as an anti-inflammatory.
However, use of currently available, animal-derived
surfactants is not considered viable for aerosolization
due to the inability to optimize formulations, the inefficiency
of current delivery systems, the manufacturing requirements,
the cost of goods, and the risk of chronic exposure
to animal proteins.
Applying the proprietary attributes
of our surfactant technology—a precision engineered
version of human lung surfactant with the ability to
be manufactured in large quantities—formulations are
being developed in our California laboratory to potentially
provide effective aerosol products.
In the case of acute
asthma as well
as most other respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis, endogenous
lung surfactant is destroyed. If this surfactant is
not replaced, the air-sacs in the lung collapse and
the patient will require mechanical ventilation to survive.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control
in Atlanta, asthma afflicts approximately 14 million
people in the United States and its incidence rate is
rising. In the United States alone, there are roughly
one million emergency room visits each year due to acute
asthma attacks, while the worldwide population of COPD
sufferers is estimated at 100 million.
Discovery's proprietary aerosolized
surfactant is currently in research and development
for the therapeutic indications above and as a prophylactic
treatment for ALI/ARDS.
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