Dornase alfa
Pharmaceutical drug
Dornase alfa, sold under the brand name Pulmozyme, is a drug used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. It is a recombinant human deoxyribonuclease I (rhDNase), an enzyme which selectively cleaves DNA. Dornase alfa hydrolyzes the DNA present in sputum/mucus and reduces viscosity in the lungs, promoting improved clearance of secretions. It is produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
01Medical uses
Dornase alfa is indicated for the management of people with cystic fibrosis to improve pulmonary function.
A 2021 Cochrane systematic review found that dornase alfa probably improves lung function (FEV1) compared with placebo/no dornase alfa at multiple time points (including one and six months), while evidence for quality-of-life outcomes was limited. Rash and voice change were reported more frequently than with control, while serious adverse effects were not reported in the included trials.
02Society and culture
Legal status
Dornase alfa is an orphan drug.
03Research
Dornase alfa has been shown to improve lung function in non-cystic fibrosis pre-term infants atelectasis.
04Pharmacology
Mechanism of action
Dornase alfa is a recombinant human DNase I that selectively cleaves DNA, by hydrolyzing extracellular DNA in sputum/mucus it reduces mucus viscosity and improves clearance of secretions.
Production
The FDA label states that dornase alfa is produced by genetically engineered Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells containing DNA encoding the native human DNase I protein.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dornase alfa”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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