News

The IPF Catalyst Challenge is being held in Chicago, Illinois today as nine finalists make their final pitch in a competition for $1 million in funding for innovative, meaningful solutions to improve the quality of life for people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Among the finalists is patientMpower, a…

Only a minority of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) swiftly receive a correct diagnosis, while more than half are misdiagnosed at least once, finds a Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) survey of 600 ILD patients. Meanwhile, patients go through invasive and costly diagnostic procedures — often without the desired result.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation plans to expand its U.S. Care Center Network from the existing 45 facilities, which provide diagnosis and treatment. The network started with nine sites when it was launched in 2013. The foundation wants to see enough centers so 90 percent of patients in urban areas…

Researchers identified a molecular pathway called ER stress, and a molecular factor known as PI3K, as promoters of pulmonary fibrosis in mice. This research suggests that PI3K and ER stress inhibitors are potential therapeutic options for pulmonary fibrosis. The study reporting the findings, “Involvement of ER stress, PI3K/AKT activation,…

Health Canada has issued a safety warning on Boehringer Ingelheim’s idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis therapy Ofev (nintedanib) after patients in a number of countries developed liver injuries and one died. IPF patients should stop taking Ofev and seek medical assistance if they develop signs of liver damage, Canadian officials said. Those…

Bellerophon Therapeutics has enrolled the first pulmonary hypertension patient in a Phase 2b clinical trial of its INOpulse nitric oxide delivery system. The trial (NCT03267108) of the blood-vessel-widening device will cover people with pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease, or PH-ILD. This includes people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,…