The University of Nebraska Medical Center will lead a $4.4 million clinical research study to evaluate whether a common over-the-counter drug can reverse the effects of emphysema.
The second-phase, three-year study is funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The study will look at whether ibuprofen can reduce inflammation in the lungs.
Emphysema has been regarded as an irreversible type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, because the lung's ability to repair itself is suppressed, UNMC's Dr. Stephen Rennard said.
"Recent evidence indicates lung repair processes are diminished in COPD, partly due to increased levels of prostaglandin E," Rennard said in a UNMC news release about the study. "We know that ibuprofen blocks the production of prostaglandins. We want to know if it can block prostaglandins in the lung."
Study participants will take 600 milligrams of ibuprofen or a placebo three times a day. Researchers will measure participants' lung inflammation and use biochemical techniques to determine the extent of lung repair that occurs.
If the study shows those taking ibuprofen saw improvement in lung function, researchers will seek approval to conduct a larger clinical study in patients.
UNMC will coordinate the study and analyze the data. The four other medical centers involved in the study are National Jewish Health in Denver, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Temple University in Philadelphia and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
