Apreo Health, a clinical-stage medical device company specializing in innovative treatments for severe emphysema, unveiled new clinical results at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2025 in Amsterdam. The findings show that Apreo’s BREATHE Airway Scaffold improves lung function and quality of life, even for patients who are typically not eligible for existing treatments. These results are based on the BREATHE 1 and 2 First In Human studies, which reported a high technical success rate of 92.4 percent and no cases of post-procedural pneumothorax, a common issue in lung volume reduction procedures.
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Karun Naga, CEO of Apreo Health, stressed the importance of these findings, stating that the BREATHE Airway Scaffold provides a less invasive and tissue-preserving alternative to surgery and other high-risk treatments. He believes this method has the potential to increase access to emphysema care by being effective for different types of the disease. The technology is intended to treat patients with varied emphysema patterns, including those with homogeneous disease and incomplete lobar fissures, which often prevent them from qualifying for other therapies.
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One of the key studies presented explored how variations in emphysema and fissure integrity influence treatment outcomes. Six-month follow-up data from the BREATHE trials showed improvements in lung function, patient quality of life, and exercise capacity, regardless of these factors. Another study found that reductions in residual lung volume, a direct indicator of lung hyperinflation, were more closely linked to patient-reported benefits than traditional measures like FEV1. This insight challenges current clinical practices and suggests that residual volume may be a more relevant endpoint for evaluating emphysema therapies.
Dr. Anand Tana, a clinical researcher at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, noted the significance of these findings for expanding treatment choices. He explained that patient improvements are not always fully captured by standard lung tests and that focusing on reducing hyperinflation better reflects the real benefits experienced by individuals with emphysema. Another analysis using high-resolution CT scans showed that the scaffold kept airways open at multiple lung locations after six months, supporting ongoing reductions in hyperinflation.
Dr. Theresa Klemm from Wiener Gesundheitsverbund in Vienna emphasized the clinical importance of maintaining airway patency for long-term symptom relief. Dr. Martin Mayse, Apreo Health’s Chief Scientific Officer, thanked the researchers and the ERS Congress for the opportunity to share these promising results. He reaffirmed Apreo’s commitment to advancing medical science and improving care for people living with severe emphysema through innovations like the BREATHE Airway Scaffold.
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