Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that causes the respiratory mucus to be thinker than normal. Although CF patients have a variety of symptoms, congested lungs and impaired breathing are the most important. The treatment of CF includes the prescription of mucolytics, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories in order to relieve these symptoms. Most novel products in development for the treatment of CF focus on the improved administration of these drugs. A possible cure may come from gene therapy and ion transport restoration, to fix the underlying cause of CF. However, with gene therapy a long way to go, hopes are now focussed on ion channel therapy to become the next big step forwards.
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