Interventional Pulmonology company Pulmonx®, developer and marketer of the novel Zephyr® Endobronchial Valve (EBV), has seen six month results from the independent, randomized, controlled STELVIO trial, which further validated the safety and efficacy of its product in severe emphysema patients.
Background
The Pulmonx Zephyr EBV is a minimally invasive treatment for severe emphysema that has been proven in over a decade of clinical experience to significantly improve the lung function, exercise tolerance and quality of life for patients receiving treatment. In the procedure, tiny, one-way valves are placed in the lungs to block airflow to diseased regions to achieve lung volume reduction. As a result, the remaining healthy regions may function more efficiently, enabling better breathing and an improved quality of life.
New data from the STELVIO was presented at this year’s American Thoracic Society (ATS) Annual Meeting and compared the Zephyr EBV with standard medical care in 84 severe emphysema patients. Using the Chartis pre-treatment assessment system, 68 patients were confirmed to have no collateral ventilation, independent of disease distribution, prior to treatment with the Zephyr EBV. At six months, statistically and clinically significant improvements in pulmonary function, exercise capacity and quality of life were seen in this patient cohort.
Investigator comments
“The benefit of the Zephyr EBV is undeniable in emphysema patients without collateral ventilation,” said primary investigator Dr. Dirk-Jan Slebos of the Department of Pulmonary Diseases and the Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.
“What is clear is that we, as physicians, must both carefully select the patients for this treatment and technically perform a successful procedure. When we do, the improvements can be life-changing for a patient group that up until now has had very limited treatment options.”
Company comments
“The STELVIO study provides independent confirmation that when patients are selected using the Chartis system, they have a high likelihood of achieving clinically meaningful improvement in lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life from Zephyr EBV therapy,” said Pulmonx Chief Executive Officer Glen French.
Source: Pulmonx, Inc.