Cystic Fibrosis Ireland have said they have received some welcoming news in the fight against the chronic illness.
The news comes after medical scientists say have been running trials of a new treatment for the extremely fatal and life altering disease. The UK’s top medical scientists say that the new treatment has greatly delivered “a significant if modest benefit” for most patients and some have even experienced an improvement in lung function. The trial saw a number of patients undergo the experimental treatment carried out by UKCystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium, with many patients experiencing an average 3.7% increase in lung function.
The results of the treatment trials was greatly welcomed by the Research and Development Officer at Cystic Fibrosis Ireland Katie Murphy who said: “Any increase in lung function would be considered an advance,”
“CF patients can experience a 2% drop per year in lung function as the disease progresses.” Ms Murphy added: “To see a 3.7% increase in lung function is considered a promising finding,”
Medical researchers potentially hope to provide the treatment to all Cystic Fibrosis patients throughout the world once they complete further trials. It is believed that there are about 1,200 Cystic Fibrosis patients in Ireland and 70,000 throughout the world.