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Publication Number
US-10869997-B2
Publication Date
2020-12-22
Expiration Date
Abstract
The present disclosure provides methods for improving drug efficacy in a patient having an obstructed airway in a lung. Such methods modulate nerve activity in the autonomic nervous system of a patient to reduce obstruction of an airway in a lung of the patient prior to administering a drug to the patient. These methods are especially useful in improving efficacies of bronchodilators in treating obstructive lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Core Innovation
The disclosed method addresses obstructive lung disease by reducing airway obstruction through modulation of nerve activity in the autonomic nervous system. It describes denervation that prevents acetylcholine from influencing postjunctional activities, followed by administration of an inhaled anticholinergic drug. The nerve modulation and drug treatment are presented as a combined approach to improve treatment efficacy.
The claimed approach administers the inhaled anticholinergic drug after denervation, when obstruction is reduced, and describes greater treatment efficacy than the drug’s reference efficacy when used as a second bronchodilator. The partial content also describes reduced distal-airway obstruction as allowing the inhaled drug to be delivered to the distal airway. The background section is not included in the supplied content.
Claims Coverage
The two independent claims describe two inventive features: improving inhaled anticholinergic drug efficacy after denervation, and treating obstructive lung disease through denervation followed by drug administration.
Improving drug efficacy after denervation
The claim covers administering an inhaled anticholinergic drug to a patient with obstructive lung disease after a denervation procedure that injures a nerve trunk along an airway wall or a bronchial branch of the vagus nerve. The denervation modulates autonomic nerve activity to reduce airway obstruction, and the drug’s post-treatment efficacy is greater than its reference efficacy as a second bronchodilator.
Treating obstructive lung disease through denervation and drug administration
The claim covers denervation to reduce obstruction in a distal airway, followed by administration of an inhaled anticholinergic drug while the obstruction is reduced, such that the drug is delivered to the distal airway. The efficacy of the combined treatment is greater than the drug’s reference efficacy when administered as a second bronchodilator after a first bronchodilator.
The independent claims cover denervation before inhaled anticholinergic drug administration, with reduced airway obstruction and treatment efficacy greater than the stated reference efficacy.
Stated Advantages
The inhaled anticholinergic drug and combined treatment exhibit greater post-treatment efficacy after denervation than the drug's reference efficacy when administered as a second bronchodilator.
Reduced distal-airway obstruction allows the inhaled anticholinergic drug to be delivered to the distal airway.
Documented Applications
Treatment of obstructive lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), by reducing airway obstruction and administering an inhaled anticholinergic drug.
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