美推出治疗肺动脉性高血压的给药设备

 
一种便携式电池供电的吸入设备，被设计用于治疗肺动脉性高血压。

CoTherix公司(San Francisco, CA, USA)和Respironics公司(Murrysville, PA, USA)已经宣布将I-neb自适应性气溶胶输送(AAD)设备用于Ventavis吸入解决方案。

I-neb只有不到8盎司中，能够被放置于钱包、口袋或者公文箱中，配合Respironics的AAD系统使用，能够持续适应患者个体呼吸模式来发挥作用，只需要吸气就可以完成给药。

Ventavis适合用于治疗出现III级或者IV级症状的肺动脉性高血压(PAH)患者。Ventavis是iloprost的吸入剂型，是一种合成化合物，结构上类似于环前列腺素，环前列腺素是自然生成的分子，能够导致血管舒张。美国食品与药品管理局在2005年8月扩大了CoTherix的标签，允许使用I-neb作为Ventavis的给药方法。

肺动脉性高血压是一种罕见的肺部血管疾病，肺动脉压力高出正常水平，患者有生命危险。该疾病的病因目前尚不清楚，但是肺部血流受限制的疾病包括硬皮病、艾滋病和红斑狼疮都会导致该病的发生。

该病症状包括乏力、呼吸短促、胸痛和眩晕。如果不治疗，明确诊断之后的中位数生存时间不到3年。但是经过治疗部分患者能够控制该病，达15～20年之久，甚至更长。

Device for Pulmonary Hypertension
 
A portable, battery-operated inhalation device is designed for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

CoTherix (San Francisco, CA, USA) and Respironics, (Murrysville, PA, USA) have announced the launch of the I-neb adaptive aerosol delivery (AAD) device for Ventavis inhalation solution.

The I-neb weighs less than eight ounces and can be carried discreetly in a purse, pocket, or briefcase and employs Respironics’ AAD System, which continually adapts to an individual patient’s breathing pattern and delivers medication only on inspiration.

Ventavis is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with Class III or IV symptoms. Ventavis is an inhaled formulation of iloprost, a synthetic compound that is structurally similar to prostacyclins, naturally occurring molecules that cause blood vessels to dilate. The U.S. Food and Dug Administration (FDA) expanded CoTherix’s label in August 2005 to include the use of the I-neb for the administration of Ventavis.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare blood vessel disorder of the lungs in which the pressure in the pulmonary artery rises above normal levels and may become life threatening. Its cause is currently unknown, but may result from other diseases that cause a restriction of blood flow to the lungs, including scleroderma, HIV and lupus.

Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, shortness of breath upon exertion, chest pain, and dizziness. Left untreated, the median survival time following diagnosis may be as short as three years. However, under treatment some patients are able to manage the disorder for 15 to 20 years or longer.