News

Recent studies have shown that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) may be caused by senescence, a cellular aging process. Now, a team of German researchers have successfully counteracted this mechanism in cell culture by using senolytic drugs that are able to kill senescent epithelial lung cells. These findings were reported in a study…

The protein vimentin triggers autoimmune reactions in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and the intensity of the reactions correlates with the severity of the disease, according to a study. The findings underscore scientists’ belief that autoimmunity — the immune system attacking the body’s own cells instead of invaders — plays…

Thalidomide — a controversial drug that caused thousands of birth defects throughout Europe in the late 1950s and was more recently approved to treat multiple myeloma — may also in fact prevent pulmonary fibrosis (PF), Chinese researchers say.   Their study, “Anti-inflammation and Antioxidant Effects of Thalidomide on Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice and…

Physical activity predicts mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as well as established measures, according to a study that suggests that traditional measures, nevertheless, might underestimate the impact of disease progression on patients’ everyday lives. Researchers at the German Center for Lung Research in Germany found that physical activity…

Inventiva Pharma recently announced that their abstract titled “PAN-PPAR Agonist IVA337 is Effective in the Prevention of Experimental Lung Fibrosis and Pulmonary Hypertension” has been selected as one of the best papers that will be presented at the 15th International Workshop on Scleroderma Research. The event will take place…

William T. Schmidt, a veteran healthcare advocacy executive, is the new president and chief executive officer of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Schmidt, who takes over Aug. 14, succeeds Patti Tuomey, who led the foundation’s fight against pulmonary fibrosis from 2010 until February 2017. “After a comprehensive search process, the…

Pulmonary fibrosis patients experience significant practical and emotional problems from their disease, according to a nine-country Boehringer Ingelheim survey. More than 150 people took part in the survey, which exposed the worries that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients have about their disease’s irreversible progression. Sixty-one percent of patients said they were either…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to SM04646, a therapy developed by San Diego-based Samumed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This designation provides several benefits, including tax incentives, exemption from the FDA user fee and potential market exclusivity for seven years following approval. SM04646,…

Ofev (nintedanib) can counter lung fibrosis by correcting abnormalities in lung blood-vessel structure, according to a German study in mice. The research suggests that fibrosis, or tissue scarring, and mechanisms involved in blood vessel formation interact in the progression of the disease. Researchers at the Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center in Mainz studied…

ZappRx’s new digital platform for prescribing specialty medications, including therapies to treat pulmonary fibrosis, can now be used at two centers with expertise in respiratory conditions —  Arizona Pulmonary Specialists and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The platform was designed to speed up and simplify the complex process required to order…