BROWNAU. He is 47 years old and lives in the Braunau district. His life is very limited because of an extraordinarily thickened heart wall. This condition is very rare and genetic. But there is hope for him: the patient from the Braunau St. Josef hospital was included in the so-called Odyssey study, which is carried out worldwide. The selection is based on the highest scientific criteria. The first patient from Europe to meet these criteria is the 47-year-old who is being treated in the Braunau hospital.
Only ten people worldwide have been admitted. “We are very proud of it and have already received congratulations from all over Austria and Europe. This is viewed internationally from a scientific point of view,” emphasizes Primary Johann Auer, Medical Director of Internal Medicine I. It is not a matter of course that a hospital in the country is one step ahead , even before the university hospitals. “This shows that we conduct clinical research here at the highest level. We have worked hard over many years to gain this status, that we are perceived as a study center,” says Carina Primus, senior physician in the Department of Internal Medicine I, who is the investigator of this study acts.
The qualification process for the Odyssey study takes months, and all quality standards are meticulously checked. The places are rare, the competition is strong. “This disease is more common in southern countries. Very potent Spanish centers are already in the starting blocks,” says Primar Auer. The fact that the Braunau hospital is ahead speaks for quality, he explains: “We diagnose carefully and treat at the highest level.” The time frame of the study, in which the drug “Mavakamten” is tested, is around two and a half years. The affected Braunauer should soon feel better. “A very promising therapy strategy is being tested, with which other forms of the disease have already been successfully treated. We hope that in these two and a half years we have gained so much knowledge that it can be used as a standard treatment,” says Primar Auer.
