Short-term effects of Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor (Orkambi™) on exertional symptoms, exercise performance, and ventilatory responses in adults with cystic fibrosis

• Main Authors: Bradley S. Quon, Andrew H. Ramsook, Satvir S. Dhillon, Reid A. Mitchell, Kyle G. Boyle, Pearce G. Wilcox, Jordan A. Guenette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2020-06-01
• Series: Respiratory Research
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12931-020-01406-z

Abstract Rationale Lumacaftor/ivacaftor (LUM/IVA) modestly improves lung function following 1 month of treatment but it is unknown if this translates into improvements in exercise endurance and exertional symptoms. Methods Adult CF participants completed a symptom-limited constant load cycling test with simultaneous assessments of dyspnea and leg discomfort ratings pre- and 1 month post-initiation of LUM/IVA. Results Endurance time, exertional dyspnea and leg discomfort ratings at submaximal exercise did not change significantly. There was a significant inverse correlation between changes in leg discomfort and endurance time (r = − 0.88; p = 0.009) following 1-month of LUM/IVA. Conclusions Overall, 1-month of LUM/IVA did not increase endurance time or modify exertional dyspnea or leg discomfort ratings. However, individuals who experienced a reduction in leg discomfort following LUM/IVA had an improvement in endurance time. Future studies with a larger sample size are needed to verify these findings and to assess the long-term effects of LUM/IVA on exercise outcomes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02821130 . Registered July 1, 2016.