What the trial was testing
The FLORA enrolled 23 patients with pulmonary fibrosis. The study was sponsored by Lakefront Biotherapeutics NV and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Patients taking the drug maintained lung capacity while the placebo group lost function over 12 weeks.
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2018 · NCT02738801
These findings — that lung capacity held steady on the drug but dropped on placebo — were published in the The Lancet. Respiratory medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 23 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with pulmonary fibrosis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment showed promise in slowing lung scarring, but it was an early-stage study with only 23 people. The drug is not yet FDA-approved. If you have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, ask your doctor about open trials testing this or similar treatments, or about the two approved medications for this condition.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open pulmonary fibrosis trials
Role of Genetic Factors in the Development of Lung Disease
This study is designed to evaluate the genetics involved in the development of lung disease by surveying genes involved in the process of breathing and examining the genes in lung cells of patients with lung disease. The study will focus on defining the distribution of abnormal genes responsible for processes directly involved in different diseases affecting the lungs of patients and healthy volunteers. Optional CT Sub-study The standard CT scan will be compared to the low dose radiation CT scan for the 150 subjects enrolled in the sub-study to assess the variation between the two techniques. Specifically, the quantitative computer aided detection of lung CT abnormalities from LAM can be compared to assess whether low radiation dose CT exams is an alternative to conventional CT to monitor disease status. This optional sub-study will be offered to up to 100 adult subjects with lung disease and up to 50 children age 9 and older with CF. Children will not be enrolled in the optional CT sub-study unless they have had a standard CT scan for medical purposes to use in comparison. One additional low dose radiation CT scan of the chest may be done as part of this sub-study when these subjects have their next annual CT scan.
4D-710 in Adult Patients With Cystic Fibrosis
This is a Phase 1/2 multicenter, open-label, single dose trial of 4D-710 investigational gene therapy in adults with cystic fibrosis.