Synairgen to test asthma treatment

Building on successful data derived from its proprietary in vitro models of the disease, Synairgen is investigating a novel application of inhaled interferon-Beta (IFN-Beta) to reduce asthma exacerbations caused by the cold virus. Currently there are no satisfactory treatments available to prevent the worsening of asthma symptoms triggered by colds.

Synairgen estimates that the total cost of asthma in the US is $16 billion per annum, and this includes some $4.1 billion for emergency department visits and in-patient care. Genentech’s Xolair is the first drug aimed primarily at the allergic portion of the severe asthmatic population.

If the planned trials are successful, it is intended that Synairgen’s inhaled IFN-Beta will provide a first line of defense for many of the asthmatic population for whom there is currently no effective treatment for cold-induced episodes.

Professor Stephen Holgate, one of the academic founders and non-executive directors of Synairgen, said: “Asthmatics live on a knife edge fearing an exacerbation. Our models of human disease have shown that asthmatic airways produce little or no IFN-Beta which acts as a defense against the virus’s ability to replicate. This has led us to develop an inhaled IFN-Beta program and we hope to demonstrate the utility of this approach in a proof of concept study of therapeutic efficacy which will follow these safety studies”.

The trial is being conducted at the University of Southampton by Professor Ratko Djukanovic and will comprise 27 participants. The outcome of this study will determine the extent of further safety studies needed.

Injectable IFN-Beta is used to treat multiple sclerosis and various forms are currently marketed by Biogen, Schering AG, Pfizer, and Serono.