RDS is a condition caused by a deficit in lung surfactant in infants who are born prematurely. Surfactant, a necessary and natural substance, is typically produced in the body about two months prior to birth and is required for proper respiratory function. By reducing the surface tension within the lungs, surfactant enables the lungs to inflate and normal breathing to begin at birth. However, when infants are born pre-term, surfactant may either be absent or be present only in insufficient quantities, preventing the lungs from inflating properly and possibly leading to the development of RDS. The administration of surfactants such as Curosurf Intratracheal Suspension has been widely used to increase infant lung function and decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with RDS.
Rangasamy Ramanathan, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Associate Division Chief, USC Division of Neonatal Medicine, and Section Head, Division of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, LAC and USC Womens & Childrens Hospital, noted: "I find it intriguing that this very large retrospective study confirms the direction of our own research a few years ago. In a randomized, multi-center trial that was published in the American Journal of Perinatology in 2004, we found a significantly higher survival rate among RDS babies treated with poractant alfa at an initial dose of 200 mg/kg than with beractant. Results from this large database analysis are consistent with the findings of our trial and other similar trials comparing poractant alfa and beractant. Furthermore, these analyses also
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Contact: Harriet Ullman
harriet.ullman@fkhealth.com
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Feinstein Kean Healthcare
7-May-2007