New and Emerging Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis

Recently, a significant number of additional key medications have become licensed in Europe for the treatment of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), including a number of inhaled antibiotics, such as nebulised aztreonam and dry powder versions of colistin and tobramycin for inhalation; dry powder inhaled mannitol, an agent to improve airway hydration and aid airway clearance; and ivacaftor, an oral therapy that directly acts on dysfunctional CFTR to correct the basic defect encountered in CF patients with the G551D CF gene mutation. The marked success of ivacaftor both in clinical trials and in post-licensing evaluation studies in treating patients with G551D and other gating mutations has greatly encouraged the ongoing development of similar therapies that can directly target the underlying cause of CF. Other therapies, including a number of anti-infectives, anti-inflammatories and replacement pancreatic enzymes, are currently undergoing clinical studies. This article reviews those treatments that have been recently licensed for CF and highlights some of the exciting emerging therapies presently under evaluation in clinical trials. In addition, it discusses some of the potential challenges being encountered by research and clinical teams in developing and delivering treatments for this condition.