Ivacaftor

Ivacaftor is an orally bioavailable potentiator of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) that improves chloride transport.¹ It increases the forskolin-induced CFTR-mediated epithelial current in cells expressing the G551D missense mutation associated with severe cystic fibrosis by approximately 4-fold (EC₅₀ = 100 nM) but has no effect on current in the absence of forskolin.¹ Ivacaftor increases chloride secretion in cultured human cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells carrying the G551D mutation on one allele and the common ΔF508 processing mutation on the other allele.¹ It binds CFTR directly and leads to CFTR channel opening via an ATP-independent mechanism.² Formulations containing ivacaftor have been used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients carrying one or more mutations in the CFTR gene.

WARNING This product is not for human or veterinary use.

1. Van Goor, F., Hadida, S., Grootenhuis, P.D., et al. Rescue of CF airway epithelial cell function in vitro by a CFTR potentiator, VX-770. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106(44), 18825-18830 (2009).

2. Eckford, P.D., Li, C., Ramjeesingh, M., et al. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) potentiator VX-770 (ivacaftor) opens the defective channel gate of mutant CFTR in a phosphorylation-dependent but ATP-independent manner. The Journal of Biological Chemisty 287(44), 36639-36649 (2012).