NHS chiefs to roll out new drugs for deadly lung disease that claimed Star Trek actor’s life

A highly effective drug for a debilitating lung disease is the first new treatment for the condition in more than a decade.

The drug – dupilumab – has been shown to significantly improve the lives of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD.

Research published this year found that the unpleasant symptoms experienced by patients taking dupilumab, such as shortness of breath and respiratory infections, were reduced by a third compared with patients receiving existing treatments.

Last week, the UK’s drug safety regulator approved dupilumab for use, meaning it will now be available privately. Experts predict the NHS will also give it the green light within a year.

“In my more than 20 years of practice, little progress has been made for patients suffering from the consequences of untreated COPD,” said Professor Surya Bhatt, a pulmonologist at the University of Alabama.

‘Dupilumab reduced symptoms to an extent never seen before.’

UK charities are hailing the drug as a major advance. “It is incredibly positive that new treatments are being developed and undergoing clinical trials, and that they could soon be made available to people in the UK,” said Dr Andrew Whittamore, who is the clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK.

About 1.4 million people in the UK have COPD. The condition occurs when the lungs and airways become damaged and inflamed.

It is usually associated with smoking or long-term exposure to certain types of harmful industrial chemicals or dust. However, in some cases, patients can develop COPD for no apparent reason.

The first symptoms are persistent cough, excessive mucus production and shortness of breath, which can disrupt sleep.

Over time, COPD increases the risk of life-threatening chest infections. NHS patients are usually offered specialist inhalers that reduce inflammation.

Lifestyle changes are also recommended, such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and staying up to date on vaccinations.

However, research shows that these measures only marginally slow the progression of the disease.

There is no cure and patients will see their symptoms get progressively worse. About half of COPD patients will not survive more than five years after their diagnosis.

New research from Asthma + Lung UK has found that one in five people wait more than a year for a diagnosis of chronic lung disease.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on Star Trek, was one of the three million people who die from the disease worldwide each year.

He died in 2015 at the age of 83, a year after being diagnosed. He had quit smoking 30 years earlier.

In the UK, 30,000 people die from COPD each year.

Dupilumab is administered intravenously in the hospital every two weeks for one year in combination with three different inhalers.

The drug blocks two proteins in the body, interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, which are linked to harmful inflammation.

Research presented last week at the European Respiratory Society congress in Austria showed that dupilumab not only reduced severe symptoms, but also improved overall lung function and quality of life.

While it’s too early for researchers to know exactly how long COPD patients taking dupilumab will live, experts say the effect is almost certain to be significant because of the reduction in dangerous infections.

Dupilumab for COPD is being reviewed by the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, with a decision expected within a year. It is already available in the Health Service for the treatment of several inflammatory conditions, including severe asthma and eczema.

According to experts, the drug is a major breakthrough in breaking the “endless cycle of severe symptoms”.

“I didn’t expect the results we found in the trial. It’s incredible compared to what’s already on the market,” said Dr. Christian Gessner, a lung expert at the University of Leipzig who led the groundbreaking study.

‘It’s really important because dupilumab not only works for people with uncontrolled COPD, but it can also be an adjunct therapy to medications that are already helping patients. It reduces symptoms, improves lung function and increases quality of life.’

One patient who has benefited from dupilumab is Felicity Payne, 67, from Eastbourne, Sussex. The former teacher and grandmother was diagnosed with COPD eight years ago, as a non-smoker, after feeling “always short of breath” and suffering repeated infections.

Doctors cannot find an effective treatment for Felicity.

She also suffers from long-term side effects from a steroid inhaler.

After trying five different medications, she says, “I’m looking forward to the new treatments. The developments are certainly promising.”

“It’s great that there’s a new way of doing things because nothing I’ve tried has worked. I know someone who’s in the dupilumab trial and it’s been remarkable. It’s given him his life back, so I can’t wait.”