Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Healthcare providers should broach the topic of palliative care — specialized care that may or may not include hospice — with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients shortly after they are diagnosed, according to a position statement recently issued by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF). “Soon after diagnosis, discussions of…

Smoking cigarettes substantially increases the risk of developing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a population-based study conducted in Korea. The findings indicate the risk of IPF is greater in current smokers, compared with people who used to smoke but have since quit. The study, “Impact…

A new diagnostic tool, the Envisia Genomic Classifier, can help make doctors more confident and accurate in diagnosing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a new survey suggests. Using the Envisa tool, by Veracyte, also may help in increasing the proportion of patients referred to proper treatment, the survey found.

RXC007, an investigational oral therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), is showing favorable safety and pharmacological properties in an ongoing Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers. The experimental therapy being developed by Redx Pharma works by blocking the activity of ROCK2, a protein involved in a signaling cascade that…

People with a familial history of short telomere syndrome (STS) — a disorder involving shortened telomeres, or chromosome “caps” — may be at an increased risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis, even if they themselves do not have the mutation that causes STS, a new study highlights. “This has…

Syndax Pharmaceuticals and Incyte are forming a global partnership to develop and commercialize axatilimab, an investigational therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other diseases characterized by excessive scarring. The companies are planning to launch a proof-of-concept Phase 2 clinical trial to test axatilimab in IPF patients…

Cudetaxestat (BLD-0409), an investigational treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) being developed by Blade Therapeutics, does not interact with the approved IPF treatment Ofev (nintedanib), according to research done in rats. “We believe that these are important data that help inform our step-wise approach to advance the clinical…

A trio of global companies is teaming up to develop an inhaled dry powder formulation of SF2523, an investigational small molecule that blocks the activity of two fibrosis-driving proteins that may help block tumor growth and ease lung scarring and inflammation. SF2523 is being developed as a treatment for…

A protein called PDIA3 is overactive in pulmonary fibrosis (PF), and contributes to the disease by driving the production of signaling molecules that promote tissue scarring, a new study shows. The researchers found that blocking PDIA3 activity can lessen such fibrosis, or tissue scarring, in a mouse model of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Blade Therapeutics to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating pharmacological interactions between its investigational medication, cudetaxestat (BLD-0409), and two approved treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The trial will enroll an estimated 86 healthy individuals, who…