Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - 2007 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 5, 2007
Contact: Laurie Fink: (301) 841-2602; lfink@cff.org

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Invests More Than $3 Million to Expand Clinical Research Capabilities Nationwide

Patient Participation in Clinical Trials Key to Discovery of New Treatments

(Washington, D.C.)— To enable greater patient involvement in clinical drug trials, and speed the development of new therapies, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. (CFFT), a nonprofit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, announced today it is investing more than $3 million to expand its clinical research network.

CFFT is making awards to 45 sites in the United States and one in Canada, to help the centers further develop their ability to conduct safe and effective cystic fibrosis clinical trials through training, resources and infrastructure support. The U.S. award recipients are already part of a national network of care centers accredited by the CF Foundation.

The new research sites will allow the Foundation to draw on a much larger pool of patients, and in turn, give patients greater opportunities to help advance progress. The new sites are located in every part of the country, including: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

“To help promising drugs move swiftly from the research and testing stage into the hands of patients who need them, we need more people with cystic fibrosis to take part in clinical trials,” said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the CF Foundation. “Without patient volunteers, research and progress are not possible. Patients are the key.”

In addition to its care center network, the CF Foundation also has a specialized clinical research network of 18 centers that conduct Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in 13 states.

The CF Foundation has more than 25 promising drug therapy candidates in its discovery and development pipeline. Any one of these—or a combination—could have a profound impact on those with cystic fibrosis. An investment of this magnitude in drug research by a voluntary health organization is unprecedented.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. It causes serious lung infections and digestive complications. As a result of dramatic improvements in research and care, the predicted median survival age for people with CF is now nearly 37 years. In 1955, most children with CF did not live long enough to reach elementary school.

About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the leading organization in the United States devoted to curing and controlling cystic fibrosis. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation has more than 80 chapters and offices throughout the country and supports and accredits a nationwide network of more than 115 CF care centers, which provide vital treatments and other CF resources to patients and families.