CHI25243, a novel potent inhaled inhibitor of neutrophil elastase for the treatment of bronchiectasis and other chronic inflammatory lung disease

Neutrophil elastase (NE) is a key proteolytic enzyme implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic neutrophil-driven inflammatory lung diseases, including bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A number of clinical observations indicate that targeting NE might be beneficial for treating such inflammatory lung diseases. Here we studied the pharmacological profile of CHI25243, a novel inhaled NE inhibitor designed for inhaled treatment of neutrophil-driven inflammatory lung diseases such as bronchiectasis. In in vitro assays, CHI25243 shows a high potency…