Lucinactant (Surfaxin ™ ) for prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in newborns

Respiratory distress syndrome, resulting from the deficiency of endogenous surfactant, remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Exogenous surfactant replacement therapy is one of the most widely researched areas in neonatal medicine and is now accepted as the standard of care for preventing and treating respiratory distress syndrome in these newborns. Exogenous surfactant replacement therapy has evolved in the past three decades, but controversies still exist as to the choice of preparation (i.e., is one better than the others?), dosing and volume of individual preparations, and cost. At present, animal-derived surfactants that contain proteins appear to be the choice of most clinicians; however, they may have the limitation of being derived from animal sources. This has prompted the development of newer synthetic surfactants such as lucinactant (Surfaxin™, Discovery Laboratories, PA, USA), which contains the protein B mimic synthetic peptide, sinapultide. Although it is not ...