San Francisco, CA, May 21, 2007 Asthmatx, Inc., a medical device company that has developed a catheter-based procedure for the treatment of asthma, announced today the successful completion of enrollment in its pivotal FDA approved IDE study, the Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) Trial of the Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System. Bronchial Thermoplasty is a non-drug treatment for asthma under clinical investigation in the United States. The minimally invasive, bronchoscopic procedure uses thermal energy to reduce the airway smooth muscle responsible for constriction in asthma patients.
Leading asthma and bronchoscopy experts are participating in this international, multicenter AIR2 Trial to establish the safety and efficacy of the Alair System. Nearly 300 patients were enrolled in the study during the last 18 months at over 30 world-renowned medical centers including 15 US research hospitals. The AIR2 Trial is the fourth clinical study of the Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System. To date, over 700 bronchoscopic procedures have been performed on asthma patients.
"We are very pleased to be a participant in this very important AIR2 Trial, the success of which will result in an important advancement in the treatment of severe asthma," states Mario Castro, MD, Associate Professor at the Washington University School of Medicine and Asthma Center, and a Principal Investigator in the AIR2 Trial. "As the lead enrolling center in the United States, we have experienced significant patient interest in bronchial thermoplasty, which we hope may become a new option for patients with difficult-to-treat asthma."
Final results of the first randomized and controlled clinical study of bronchial thermoplasty, the Asthma Intervention Research (AIR) Trial, were also reported today at the annual scientific assembly of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) by Gerard Cox, MB, Professor of Medicine, McMaster University, Canada, and principal investigato
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Contact: Meghan Oreste
moreste@comcast.net
617-823-1441
Asthmatx
21-May-2007