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Emphazema

steveking2 profile image
9 Replies

My grandfather has emphazema I read about vitamin A treatment how can he get in the trial ?

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steveking2
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9 Replies
knitter profile image
knitter

Hi steveking2, There have been some posts on here about Vit A and some research but I am afraid I know nothing about a trial.

If you need more information about your grandfathers condition, the BLF website has reliable information and they have a helpline also.

Take care and thank you for thinking of your grandfather.

Biddy_ALUK profile image
Biddy_ALUKPartnerBritish Lung Foundation

Good morning stevenking2,

Here's a link to the NHS Choices website and details of all clinical trials into emphysema along with contact details.

nhs.uk/Conditions/Chronic-o...

I think the vitamin A trial you refer to was back in 2006 but was unfortunately inconclusive.

Below is the official statement.

Official statement from F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd regarding A1AD Trial at Birmingham University Hospital.

•Safety: R667 5mg daily was generally well tolerated relative to placebo.

•Efficacy: In general the data analyses failed to show significant efficacy in the entire patient population who received 1 year treatment with R667 but we will proceed with further analyses that may identify a subgroup of patients who may benefit from receiving the drugs.

•These results together with that of an ongoing 2 year study in patients with smoking induced emphysema , that is not limited to Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency, will give us a clear idea whether R667 is beneficial for the treatment of Emphysema.

A second trail was undertaken, this was also inconclusive.

Regards,

Biddy

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to Biddy_ALUK

Biddy, im interested in this information that shows Vit A trials have been inconclusive. It would be helpful if this was posted on the site for everyone to see as there has been a lot of contention and unpleasantness around one member's adamant claims of Vit A's efficacy.

What may help one person (if indeed it did, and its always hard to know precisely what has caused improvements) may not help another and it would be helpful to put arguments here in the context of these trials results.

Biddy_ALUK profile image
Biddy_ALUKPartnerBritish Lung Foundation in reply to O2Trees

Hi O2Trees,

That's a great idea, I'll get a post on early next week as I'm off in ten minutes.

Have a lovely weekend.

Biddy

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to Biddy_ALUK

Oh brilliant Biddy. Enjoy your weekend :)

in reply to Biddy_ALUK

A separate post would be good so all can decide what to do if anything. Biddy's info is important but buried on sk's thread.

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to Biddy_ALUK

Biddy, one further point, am i right in thinking there have been no further trials since the second one your mention which was also inconclusive?

Sokrackers profile image
Sokrackers

I do not quite agree with you O2. There are new trials being investigated currently by one of the professors involved with the 2006 trials. In simple terms they are looking at a 'tiny microle' in vitamin A which can help with revenating the lung. It is not as simple as taking vit A. It is a minute compound found in vit A that can help. High doses of vit A can be potentially dangerous to other organs.

If it was as simple as taking vit A we wouldn't be suffering with our lung problems?

I already have damaged lungs I don't need any more organs damaged by unsubstantiated claims.

SK

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to Sokrackers

Are we disagreeing SK? It doesn't seem so from your last sentence. If you read my first reply Im implying pretty strongly that the previous claims for Vit A made here were problematic but if that wasn't clear then I apologise. That was the whole point of my post, asking for more info from a neutral and reliable source, i.e. Biddy/BLF. Its useful to know about new trials and what is involved with them and what you are saying sounds like important info that I for one didn't know, so thank you for that.