May 2004 

Julie Feldman MPH RD, Clinical Dietitian

As the weather gets warmer, it is time to look for your local Great Strides CF Foundation Fundraising Walk.  This annual event is held at thousands of locations nationwide and helps to contribute a tremendous amount of money to CF research.  Please help support your local CF Foundation.  Visit www.cff.org for more information.

Water a Cure

Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill believe the key to curing CF may be water.  It is thought that water is absorbed too readily by the lungs of CF patients, leaving the lungs without enough lubricant to clear mucus from the lungs.  This allows mucus to build up and bacteria to invade.  By breeding mice with different types of CF dysfunction in their lung, researchers were able to identify the malfunction that allows salt and water to drain off airway surfaces three times faster than that in normal lungs.  This is the best working model of CF to date and offers great hope for new research.

Inologic Inc. announced that it has reached its 2nd milestone in the development of INO-4995 for the treatment of CF.  This is a compound that restores the chloride and sodium balance in lung tissues and consequently reduces the buildup of thick mucus.  The drug is delivered intranasaly and offers great hope.

The CF Foundation announced its support of the FDA's requirement that all manufacturers of pancreatic enzyme replacements must obtain FDA approval for their product in the next four years.  This is due to a wide discrepancy in the amounts of active ingredients between enzyme vendors.   If you have a problem having your enzyme prescription filled with a non-generic brand, please contact Dr. Pichurko's office for assistance.

Inspire pharmaceuticals Inc. announced excellent results from their Phase II study of INS37217 Respiratory in patients with mild CF lung disease.  The data will be presented at the CF Conference in St. Louis in October.  The results after a four week trial showed statistically significant improvement in lung function.  This drug has been given Orphan Drug Status and Fast Track designations from the FDA.

Pump up the Calories

Many of you are tired of the same old creamy supplements.  I wanted to make sure you were all aware of Source Cookie Bars.  There are two flavors of protein fortified nutritional bars, packed with high energy calories. The recipes are formulated to taste great with wholesome ingredients, while meeting the nutritional needs of the CF patient.
Tipping the scales at a whopping 550 calories, the chocolate chip Source Cookie Bar packs 20 grams of protein as well.

For more information visit http://www.sourcecf.com/nutritionals.htm