C1 Esterase Inhibitor Overview

The Complement System is one of the most ancient defense systems of living organisms, with an estimated age between 600 and 700 million years old. As implied by its name, it was initially seen as a complementary system in the defense against microbes. More recently, the Complement System has been recognized as an essential component of the immune system, interacting with a variety of immune cells and facilitating their response to insults to the body. It is truly one of the body’s “first responders”, tasked with quickly identifying, tagging, and destroying invaders, as well as getting rid of cellular waste generated during the process. The Complement System works in conjunction with other regulatory cascades within the body including the Contact and Coagulation systems to maintain a normal state of health. An important participant in the complement system is C1 esterase inhibitor, or C1-INH, a protein involved in regulating the inflammatory cascade.

ViroPharma is the industry leader in developing and commercializing novel drugs to manage C1 esterase inhibitor-deficiency mediated diseases and other diseases in which C1-INH is implicated as an important regulatory protein. At ViroPharma, the work we are doing today with C1-INH may benefit many patients with such debilitating diseases.