Pivotal Data Show Bronchial Thermoplasty Can Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Asthma Attacks and Emergency Room Visits for Adults with Sev...( Non-drug Procedure for Asthma Highli...),Health

Non-drug Procedure for Asthma Highlighted at ATS 2009

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of the Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) Trial of the Alair(R) Bronchial Thermoplasty System, developed by Asthmatx, Inc., were announced today at ATS 2009, the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society, in San Diego, Calif. The AIR2 results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in quality of life measurements, reductions in asthma attacks (severe exacerbations) and emergency room visits for respiratory symptoms in adults with severe asthma who underwent bronchial thermoplasty delivered by the Alair System.

"The reduction in asthma attacks and improvements in quality of life are consistent with the outcomes from previous trials," said Mario Castro, MD, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine, and a Principal Investigator in the AIR2 Trial. "These outcomes provide further clinical evidence needed to demonstrate the safety, effectiveness and long term benefits of bronchial thermoplasty."

The AIR2 Trial was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty in adult patients with severe asthma who were symptomatic, despite being treated with high doses of standard of care medications (high dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators). The study was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial and enrolled 297 patients at 30 sites in 6 countries. The primary effectiveness endpoint was the change from baseline in Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) score. Safety was assessed by comparing the short and long-term safety profiles for both the treatment and sham control groups.

Key statistically significant clinical findings of the AIR2 Trial were:

• Improvement in the average AQLQ score at 6-, 9-, and 12 months over sha
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