Curosurf. 4 million premature babies treated. 500,000 lives saved. 4

Curosurf. 4 million premature babies treated. 500,000 lives saved. 4

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Leading expert in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD, explains how the surfactant medication Curosurf has treated nearly four million premature babies and saved over 500,000 lives globally. He details the initial skepticism from his own institution and the pivotal partnership with Chiesi Farmaceutici that enabled the drug's development and worldwide clinical success, transforming outcomes for infants with respiratory failure.

Neonatal Surfactant Therapy for Premature Babies: Saving Lives with Curosurf

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Curosurf Impact on Premature Babies

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD, estimates that the medication Curosurf has treated nearly four million premature babies across more than 80 countries. This represents a massive global impact on neonatal care. The treatment is specifically designed for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants, a condition caused by a lack of surfactant in the lungs.

Dr. Curstedt calculates that Curosurf has saved the lives of at least 500,000 babies. This life-saving effect is attributed to a significant reduction in mortality, estimated at 30-40% among treated infants. The medication directly addresses the primary cause of breathing failure in this vulnerable population.

Overcoming Skepticism in Medical Innovation

The development of Curosurf was met with significant initial skepticism, even from Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD's own alma mater and home institution. This resistance is a common challenge in pioneering medical research, where novel treatments often face doubt before proving their efficacy. Dr. Curstedt and his team persevered because they were confident in their robust scientific data.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD, highlights the incredible journey from a concept rejected by local experts to a therapy used worldwide. The transformation of a dying, blue baby into a healthy, pink infant after treatment provided the powerful visual proof needed to overcome doubt. This clinical success became the most compelling argument for the therapy's adoption.

Chiesi Farmaceutici Partnership Success

A critical turning point was the partnership with the Italian pharmaceutical company Chiesi Farmaceutici. Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD, signed the first agreement with them in December 1987 to develop a surfactant extracted from pig lungs. This collaboration provided the essential support and resources that his home institution had refused to offer.

The name "Curosurf" itself is derived from Dr. Curstedt's name (CU) and Robertson (RO), reflecting the drug's origins. Chiesi Farmaceutici supported the research and development continuously, enabling the large-scale production and global distribution needed to treat millions of infants. This partnership was fundamental to the medication's success.

The Science Behind Curosurf Surfactant

Curosurf is a natural surfactant preparation that contains specific phospholipids and proteins essential for lung function. Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD, and his team conducted extensive research to identify the critical components of surfactant beyond just phospholipids. Their work focused on including two vital proteins that significantly enhance the medication's effectiveness.

This porcine-derived surfactant works by coating the alveoli in the lungs, reducing surface tension and preventing them from collapsing during exhalation. This mechanism allows premature babies to breathe effectively. The biological activity of the proteins in Curosurf makes it a highly effective treatment for neonatal RDS, leading to its superior performance.

Global Clinical Trial Expansion

The initial clinical trial for Curosurf began with 11 sites. However, as evidence of its efficacy grew, the trial network expanded rapidly to include 50, 60, and then 70 sites across Europe. This widespread adoption by the medical community was a direct result of the compelling clinical outcomes observed in premature babies.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD, notes that the rapid expansion of collaborators made it possible to conduct a very large study without the need for involvement from Karolinska Institutet initially. The growing number of sites demonstrated the medical community's increasing belief in the treatment's potential. Positive results from these numerous sites continuously reinforced the drug's value.

Personal Drive for a Medical Breakthrough

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD's personal conviction was a key driver in overcoming the obstacles faced during development. He maintained a strong belief that they had a good product, backed by years of dedicated research. This confidence was rooted in a deep understanding of the surfactant's biochemistry and its clinical application.

For Dr. Curstedt, the ultimate motivation was witnessing the immediate and dramatic improvement in babies receiving the treatment. Seeing a critically ill infant recover quickly provided the emotional fortitude to push through periods of skepticism. The collaboration with an increasing number of convinced clinicians also provided crucial external validation and support for his work.

Full Transcript

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: How many babies did your medication help to save and to improve their outcomes to date? What is your estimate?

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: It is very difficult to say, but perhaps nearly four million babies we have treated.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: You treated nearly four million prematurely born babies—

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: In 80 countries, in more than 80 countries, premature babies have been treated with it. But you can't calculate that in 30–40% of those babies we have saved a life. But perhaps Curosurf saved the life of 12 to 15% of prematurely born babies.

In that case, you can calculate we saved lives of at least half a million babies. Probably more than half a million.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Half a million babies are alive because of the medication you invented. The medication that was refused to be developed initially by your own alma mater hospital and home institution and pharmaceutical company in your own country.

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: Yes, yes.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: This is an amazing story. Maybe the question becomes, how do you overcome skepticism in your life?

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: I have overcome because we were very lucky in the case of Chiesi Farmaceutici. They have supported us all the time. The first agreement we had with Chiesi we signed in December 1987. From that time we had an agreement both regarding making surfactant from pig lungs, the Curosurf.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: You perhaps know where Curosurf name is coming.

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: The name is coming from my name, CU, Robertson, RO, Curosurf. Also it is synthetic surfactant. They supported us all the time. It works much better, so I am very happy with what happened today.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: But personally, over decades, you worked on this medication so far. You saw the baby turn from blue and dying baby to the essentially healthy pink baby. You are encountering all this skepticism and resistance. How did you deal with that personally? What helped you?

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: Because I thought we had a good product. We had done much research. Even at that time, what the components of the surfactant was not only the phospholipid and also these two proteins in the surfactant. We worked very hard with the components of the surfactant at that time.

But the skepticism, that was in the 1980s, in the late 80s. But often, when we got in contact with Chiesi after a couple of years or so, that led to a success with Chiesi. I had no skeptics at that time. But in the beginning, of course, we had many countries.

In the first clinical trial, it was 11 sites for the first clinical trial. But in a couple of years that increased to 50, 60, 70 sites. It was no need in the beginning to have Karolinska at that time. We had so many sites in Europe.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: You could do it without, so that is what—

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: We could do it very big. We got results, we could do it without Karolinska.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Medical second opinion is important. What helped you to overcome, as I hear, is being sure that your data is very strong and seeing amazing results and a lot of collaborators coming on board.

Dr. Tore Curstedt, MD: Yes, collaborators all the time were coming more and more and more.