Cystic fibrosis patients all over America will soon be able to take advantage of a new daily treatment method, as the US Food and Drug Administration has just granted final approval to PARI Respiratory Equipment, Inc.‘s eRapid Nebulizer System — the first electronic nebulizer that is specially designed to effectively administer Pulmozyme (dornase alfa), a widely prescribed mucus thinner. This breakthrough advancement in CF drug delivery offers the ability to reduce treatment time for CF patients taking Pulmozyme from 6-8 minutes a day to just 2-3 minutes, making it a preferred drug delivery system among adult and pediatric CF patients compared to traditional nebulizers.
“We have been pleased with eRapid’s fast treatment times in the lab and are excited that patients now have access to a much faster Pulmozyme therapy. As the first electronic nebulizer to deliver Pulmozyme, eRapid is a true breakthrough for cystic fibrosis patients who take the therapy daily, often for years,” said Lisa Cambridge, director of Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Alliances at PARI Respiratory Equipment, Inc.
“PARI was motivated to introduce eRapid to the US market based on encouragement from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and their input to have a general-use, electronic nebulizer that could improve therapy adherence. For many years, eRapid has been successfully distributed in Europe (as eFlow Rapid) with favorable feedback from patients with CF. In the Pulmozyme clinical trial, there was a 10:1 preference for eRapid in the pediatric group and a 20:1 preference in the adult group. That confirmed our decision to bring eRapid to the US,” noted Geoff A. Hunziker, president of PARI USA.
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Those interested in availing the eRapid Nebulizer System can visit www.pari.com or call 1-800-FAST-NEB for a list of speciality pharmacies that offer the device. Pulmozyme is taken daily in combination with standard CF therapies for the improvement of pulmonary function. To learn more, visit www.pulmozyme.com.
“After the successful results of a Phase IV study, we are confident that physicians will see that both pediatric and adult patients favor eRapid based on reduced treatment times, quiet operation, and its small, portable size. We were also happy to see that patients were more satisfied with treatment and eRapid had a positive influence on adherence — good for their overall cystic fibrosis management,” added Lisa Cambridge.