Cyclosporine Inhalation Solution (CIS) in Lung Transplant and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients for the Treatment of Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome

Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BO) is an obstructive lung disease that can affect individuals that have undergone a lung or hematopoietic stem cell transplant. BO has been studied most extensively in lung transplant recipients, where it is considered to represent chronic lung rejection. It is the leading cause of death after lung transplant, with mortality rates up to 55%. In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, BO is thought to be a manifestation of chronic graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Up to 45% of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the NHLBI develop a decline in pulmonary function. Conventional therapy for patients who develop BO consists of augmentation of systemic immunosuppressants. Systemic immunosuppression has limited efficacy for BO and is associated with deleterious consequences including increased risk of infections and decreased graft-versus tumor/leukemia effects. Recently, cyclosporine inhalation solution (CIS) in solution with propylene glycol has been shown to improve overall survival and chronic rejection-free survival in lung transplant patients. These findings suggest targeted delivery of immunosuppressive therapy to the diseased organ warrants further investigation as this may minimize the morbidity associated with systemic immunosuppression. However, there currently exists limited data regarding the overall efficacy of inhaled cyclosporine to treat established BO following lung transplantation. Furthermore, inhaled cyclosporine has not been studied in the treatment of BO following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Here, we propose to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacodynamics of inhaled cyclosporine for the treatment of BO. Two distinct patient populations will be offered enrollment in this protocol: hematopoietic transplant recipients with BO (group A) and lung transplant recipients with BO (group B). Study participants will receive CIS at an initial dose of 150mg, three times weekly. Patients will undergo dose titration to a maximum dose of 300mg, three times weekly. Drug deposition and pharmacokinetic analyses will be performed at the initiation of treatment. Clinical parameters, including pulmonary function tests, will be measured in addition to laboratory markers of the anti-inflammatory response to CIS. Adverse events associated with treatment will be recorded. The primary objective is to 1) assess the safety and efficacy of inhaled cyclosporine as a new therapy in hematopoietic transplant patients and lung transplant patients with established BO. Additionally, we seek to promote a better understanding of the pathogenesis of BO in these two transplant groups and to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of inhaled cyclosporine in patients that develop this complication. The primary endpoint of each study group is the best response, FEV1 improvement or stabilization from study baseline at week 18 for two successive measures, at least 1 week apart, no more than 2 weeks apart. Secondary endpoints include the toxicity profile as measured by CTCAE criteria (safety), the study of pharmacokinetics and lung deposition characteristics of inhaled cyclosporine, improvement in high resolution chest CT images, results of peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar cytokine arrays to assess secondary markers of inflammation, and functional capacity measurements using a six-minute walk test.