News

More than 100,000 fewer hospital appointments were logged by people with lung diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in England between March 2020 and 2021, relative to the average annual number of such appointments — which the Taskforce for Lung Health attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strain…

AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, a specialty and home delivery pharmacy, is partnering with TailorMed, a healthcare technology company, to help lower out-of-pocket prescription costs for specialty pharmacy patients. Medications attained through specialty pharmacies are those used to treat rare and chronic conditions in the U.S., and are often extremely costly. For…

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) co-occurring with a second lung disorder represents a distinct new IPF subtype with a poor prognosis and its own set of treatment considerations, a recent study found. The discovery of this new IPF subtype, made with the help of a computerized image analysis tool, could…

A subset of fibroblasts that produce a protein called meflin in lung tissues taken from people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was found to prevent fibrosis, or tissue scarring, in a disease mouse model, scientists reported. “Our research, led by a collaborative team from Nagoya University in Japan and…

Changes in gene activity and immune cell populations in the lungs of people with chronic lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), may predispose these patients to severe COVID-19, a study indicated. “Our results suggest that patients with chronic lung disease are molecularly primed to be more susceptible…

A new, automated computer image analysis technique was able to accurately assess and measure the severity of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) using patients’ lung tissue samples, a study reported. According to its researchers, this technique may complement conventional measures of disease severity, and could prove useful in assessing a range…

The Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has awarded a $250,000 grant to support the development of a novel miniprotein binder to help treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The grant was awarded to Anindya Roy, PhD, an acting instructor and senior fellow at the University of…

Nominations are now open for the worldwide 2022 Black Pearl Awards from Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe. The 12 award categories recognize individual advocates, policy makers, researchers, organizations, and companies who work to make a difference for the global rare disease community. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 10…

Enrollment has resumed, under a revised trial protocol, in the Phase 2b study GALACTIC-1, which is evaluating Galecto’s investigational inhaled therapy GB0139 in adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Galecto in March had been advised to stop recruiting and treating certain trial participants after disparities were…

NeRRe Therapeutics has raised £20 million (nearly $28 million) to develop orvepitant as a treatment for the chronic cough that can impact quality of life for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Orvepitant’s efficacy has been demonstrated in patients with refractory or unexplained chronic cough associated with reflex…