Decision pending on lung drug

The availability to Irish patients of the only known drug to treat the underlying cause, and not just the symptoms, of genetic emphysema currently hangs in the balance.

The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), which decides whether a drug is cost- effective, is in the “advanced stages” of evaluating whether or not to recommend that the State fund Respreeza, a drug shown to slow the progression of emphysema and to reduce severity of chest infections in patients and associated hospital admissions.

Respreeza, available to 21 Irish patients who took part in a clinical trial between 2006 and 2014, is for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) or Alpha-1. AAT is a protein whose main function is to protect the lungs from infection and a deficiency can cause symptoms ranging from breathlessness and wheezing to severe lung, liver and skin problems. Respreeza works by replacing the protein that is lacking.