Dornase Alfa Brand Name– Pulmozyme
What is Dornase Alfa
Dornase alfa is recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rh-DNase) administered via inhalation to assist in the clearance of bronchial secretions in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
It is produced by genetically engineered Chinese hamster ovary cells and is identical to the human enzyme.
In a randomized, controlled trial, 105 CF patients 5 years of age and older with normal lung function received dornase alfa 2.5 mg daily or no treatment for 3 years.
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were taken and assessed for concentrations of neutrophils, elastase activities, and interleukin-8; after 3 years, pooled BALF samples from the treatment group demonstrated no change in concentrations, while there were significant increases in the concentrations in the pooled BALF samples of the untreated patients.
Dornase alfa has been associated with an improvement in pulmonary function tests in CF patients with varying degrees of lung disease severity.
It has also been shown to decrease the risk of pulmonary exacerbations and respiratory infections in CF patients.
The effect of this medication on exercise tolerance has not been established in either adult or pediatric CF patients.
Although there is limited data available, the use of dornase alfa in non-CF disease states such as idiopathic bronchiectasis, plastic bronchitis, respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, and pulmonary mucus plugging in premature infants has been described with conflicting results.
The potential role for dornase alfa in non-CF disease states remains unclear. Dornase alfa is the first recombinant DNase to be approved for CF.
Indications
- atelectasis
- cystic fibrosis
- mucolysis
For mucolysis in patients with cystic fibrosis in conjunction with standard therapies to improve pulmonary function
Side Effects
- antibody formation
- chest pain (unspecified)
- conjunctivitis
- cough
- dyspepsia
- dyspnea
- fever
- headache
- hoarseness
- laryngitis
- pharyngitis
- rash
- rhinitis
- urticaria
Monitoring Parameters
- laboratory monitoring not necessary
Contraindications
- breast-feeding
- children
- hamster protein hypersensitivity
- infants
- neonates
- pregnancy
Interactions
There are no drug interactions associated with Dornase Alfa products.
