New non-drug procedure for severe asthma featured in eight presentations at annual conference in San Diego
SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Asthmatx released today the schedule of presentations featuring its novel Alair(R) Bronchial Thermoplasty System at ATS 2009, the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), which will take place in San Diego, Calif., May 15-20. The schedule includes the one year results from the pivotal AIR2 Trial, which was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty delivered by the Alair System, which is an investigational procedure that may change the standard of care for millions of patients suffering from asthma.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting ATS meeting with numerous scientific presentations focusing on bronchial thermoplasty and its potential to elevate the standard of care for patients suffering from severe asthma,” said Glen French, CEO of Asthmatx. “The selection by the ATS Program Committee of the AIR2 data for inclusion in the late breaking clinical trials session further reflects the importance of these data to the asthma community.”
The full schedule of oral and poster presentations surrounding bronchial thermoplasty at ATS 2009 include:
About Bronchial Thermoplasty Delivered by the Alair System
Bronchial thermoplasty is a novel non-drug treatment for asthma. The treatment is performed through the working channel of a standard flexible bronchoscope that is introduced through a patient’s nose or mouth, and into their lungs. The tip of the small diameter Alair Catheter is expanded to contact the walls of targeted airways. Controlled thermal energy is then delivered to the airway walls to reduce the amount of airway smooth muscle that narrows the airways in patients with asthma during an asthma attack. The minimally invasive procedure, like many other flexible endoscopy procedures, is done under light anesthesia and the patient returns home the same day. In the period immediately following bronchial thermoplasty, there is an expected increase and worsening of respiratory-related symptoms, which are of the type expected following bronchoscopy in patients with asthma. These typically occur within a day of the procedure and resolve on average within 7 days with standard care.
CAUTION: Alair System is an Investigational Device. It is limited by United States law to investigational use. To be used by Qualified Investigators only.
Alair is a registered trademark of Asthmatx, Inc.
About Asthmatx
Asthmatx is developing catheter-based medical devices for the treatment of asthma. Asthmatx has developed the Alair System to perform an investigational outpatient procedure called bronchial thermoplasty. The Alair System from Asthmatx was awarded “Best of 2006" by Popular Science Magazine and bronchial thermoplasty was named one of the “Top Ten Medical Innovations for 2007" by the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The Alair System has received a CE Mark for use in the European Union. For more information on Asthmatx visit www.asthmatx.com.
CONTACT: Scott Shadiow of WeissComm Partners, +1-415-946-1093,
sshadiow@wcpglobal.com, for Asthmatx
Web site: http://www.asthmatx.com/
