This year, the central focus of my life has been my mom needing — and then receiving — a double-lung transplant. I’ve met a lot of people whose lives are also revolving around a lung transplant: patients and family members, pre- and post-transplant. Since my sphere is full of these…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow the start of a Phase 2 clinical trial of treatment candidate GKT831 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). GKT831 is an orally available inhibitor of the NOX1 and NOX4 enzymes, and has been explored for the treatment of liver and kidney…
Maintaining friendships as a young adult is difficult due to time constraints imposed by the demands of young kids, a busy career, or care of aging parents. We’re all “guilty” of getting wrapped up in the daily activities of our lives. It’s not that we don’t want to spend time…
A new international consortium based in Paris, and funded largely by the 28-member European Union, intends to speed the diagnosis of rare diseases, while also accelerating the development of treatments for the 95% of such illnesses that currently don’t have one. The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP…
I recently returned from a three-week vacation in Europe. On the trip, my wife, Rebecca, and I visited Poland, Italy, Greece, and Austria. I was anxious before the holiday and worried about transporting my medications across borders. I thought, “Will I become ill? Will I be able to physically handle…
Patients older than 75 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are at higher risk of discontinuing treatment with Esbriet (pirfenidone) due to adverse reactions, namely anorexia, according to a retrospective analysis made in Japan. The study, “Differences in tolerability of pirfenidone between elderly and younger patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,”…
Gilead Sciences gained rights over GLPG1690, Galapagos‘ investigational therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), as part of a 10-year research collaboration between the two companies. The agreement will allow Gilead to have access to Galapagos’ therapeutic platform, which includes six molecules currently in clinical trials, and more than…
No one really enjoys being admitted to the hospital, but for many patients living with a chronic illness, hospitalization is inevitable, and can bring both comfort and relief. At least, that has been my experience while living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). There has been a lot of talk among…
The demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Spain are similar to those of IPF patients in other countries, allowing for comparison with other registries and cohorts, a study has found. The study, “Demographic and Clinical Profile of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients in…
Organ transplants are a trade-off. The patient receives a healthy organ or organs, but the price is chronic immunosuppression. The trade-off is made when there are no other treatment options, and only if the transplant is expected to be successful. I can’t tell you how many times I…
