Windtree Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly Discovery Laboratories) is an American company which was set up in 1992 and now is based in Warrington, Pennsylvania, developing drug products (

pulmonary The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory syste ...

medicine) for patients with

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

. The company joined an alliance with Laboratorios del Dr. Esteve, S.A. In 2016, Discovery Laboratories changed name to Windtree Therapeutics, Inc.

Products and services

The major products of the company are Surfaxin (based on its capillary aerosol-generating technology) and Aerosurf. Surfaxin is a synthetic,

peptide Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain. Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Da or more are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty am ...

-containing (KL4)

surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word ''surfactant'' is a Blend word, blend of "surface-active agent", coined in ...

, similar to pulmonary surfactant, which is naturally in the lung for normal respiratory function. The drug is delivered by its capillary aerosol-generating technology to the lung. Aerosurf is a drug-device combination to prevent respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. In addition, the company also provides Afectair devices (disposable aerosol-conducting airway connectors).

Research and development

In November 2013, Discovery Laboratories began its phase II clinical program of aerosolized KL4 since

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA) had cleared the investigational new drug (IND) application. The phase II consists of two steps to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the drug and determine the optimal dose for premature infants with

respiratory distress syndrome Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also known as surfactant deficiency disorder (SDD), and previously called hyaline membrane disease (HMD), is a syndrome in premature infants caused by developmental insufficiency of pulmonary surfacta ...

(RDS) In October 2013, Discovery Laboratories received the agreement of updating Surfaxin (lucinactant) Intratracheal Suspension from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. In September 2012, Discovery Laboratories started the four research projects to explore the KL4 surfactant technology for

acute lung injury Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin co ...

(ALI). These projects are funded through government-sponsored, biodefense-related initiatives under the

Project Bioshield Act Project Bioshield, formally known as the Project Bioshield Act was enacted by the United States Congress in 2004 calling for $5 billion for purchasing vaccines that would be used in the event of a bioterrorist attack. This was a ten-year progra ...

of 2004 and the

Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act On December 19, 2006, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), Public Law No. 109-417, was signed into law by President George W. Bush. First introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), PAHPA ...

of 2006.

References

{{reflist Pharmaceutical companies established in 1992 Companies listed on the Nasdaq 1992 establishments in Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical companies of the United States