Cyclosporine Preserves Lung Function in Transplants

A new study shows that inhaling an aerosol form of cyclosporine results in long-term preservation of lung function in transplant patients.

In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, researchers at the University of Maryland (Baltimore, USA) assessed changes in lung function by measuring forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in 58 lung transplant recipients randomized to inhale either a 300 mg aerosol of cyclosporine or an aerosol of placebo three days per week for the first two years after transplantation. Both groups received conventional systemic immunosuppression in the form of tacrolimus, azathioprine, and prednisone.

The study examined differences in the rate of change in lung function after more than three years of follow up in the aerosol cyclosporine group, and more than two-and-a-half years of follow up in the placebo group. The decline in lung function was roughly four times greater among patients inhaling placebo than among those inhaling cyclosporine, who had preserved lung function during the course of the study. There were no between-group differences in the rate of acute lung graft rejection occurring in the first few weeks after surgery. The results were presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, held in May 2006 in San Diego (CA, USA).

"These data support data published in The New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year on the same group of patients that showed that those patients who inhaled cyclosporine had improved survival and less chronic rejection than those who inhaled placebo,” said lead author Dr. Aldo T. Iacono, medical director of lung transplantation at the University of Maryland. "I believe that this study supports the fact that we should be trying to get this drug to lung transplant recipients. Right now, there are no lung transplant patients receiving this drug.”


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