Emphysema therapies

[josey36]

My husband is in end stage Emphysema (heterogenous).  Is not able to be in a clinical trial due to other complications - Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension, only 1 kidney with the other kidney not shall we say perfect.   (We were at Cleveland Clinic in May 2007).  When do you think there will be therapies available, out of trials, to aid my husband.  We were hoping for the Biologic Lung Volume Reduction therapy from Aeris Therapeutics to be available 2008 or 2009.  Also there is the retinoic acid therapy, and stem cell work in research.
When do you think something will be available to him?  He is on oxygen now 3 to 6 LPM, to try to keep him at 90 on the oximeter.  
I pray every night something will be there soon to help him.

[juan1]

A related discussion, i had a copd and i just want to share the info my meidcine was started.

[123Sandi]

Hi.  I just saw your response to josey36, and was wondering at what point should I be looking for advanced things like this.  I have been just diagnosed with COPD.  I never smoked, that's what makes this even more devastating to me.  I have "mild" emphasema.  It dosen't feel mild, believe me.  I have had two doctors refuse to order a ct scan, one finally agreed to it. When should I start worrying about looking a clincical studies, and trials?

[National Jewish Health]

Experimental therapies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) require careful evaluation before they can be deemed both safe and effective.  A list of ongoing clinical trials in COPD may be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov database by searching for "COPD."  Until novel treatments are available, the most effective approach to the treatment of COPD is determined by a careful evaluation by a physician with expertise in this area and will typically rely on a combination of preventive therapy, such as immunizations, FDA-approved drug therapy and supplemental therapy with interventions such as oxygen and pulmonary rehabilitation as deemed appropriate by the physician.