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news.Amarillo Biosciences has been granted funding from the Texas Tech University Health Services Center's School of Medicine to conduct a study on oral interferon therapy for chronic cough in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
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The funding from the university will be available on September 1, 2007. Accordingly, ABI will immediately commence preparation of the investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA. Clinical supplies of interferon lozenges and placebo will be packaged for the double-blinded, randomized clinical study.
Treatment with oral interferon or a placebo preparation will be three times per day for four weeks with four weeks of post-treatment observation to test the duration of any effect observed. The primary endpoint will be reduction in cough frequency/severity. Digital recordings will assess cough frequency and visual analog scale (VAS) will assess cough severity. Possible effects on the quality of life with suppression of the cough will also be assessed.
Dr Lorenz Lutherer, MD, TTUHSC, noted that “in our previous study in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), we found preliminary evidence that treatment with oral interferon suppressed the chronic cough associated with that disease, so we are hopeful that it will have a similar effect in patients with COPD.”
COPD is caused by damage to the small airways, usually due to smoking. COPD is reported to affect 10% of humans over the age of 40. By the year 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that COPD will become the fourth most common cause of death, behind heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and HIV/AIDS.