This time a year ago was very different for my wife, Susan, and me. My idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was no longer stable, but progressing. Susan was confident I wouldn’t make it to Christmas. Upon exertion, I needed over 7 liters per minute (lpm) of supplemental oxygen. Exertion…
Appreciating Other Perspectives on the IPF Journey
I never thought I’d take for granted the caregiving I receive from my daughter, at least not on purpose. But that’s exactly what I was doing. I knew I could count on her on the days I needed someone to drive me to my appointments, for instance, because when my…
Inconsistent results in the final planned preclinical study of NXP002, Nuformix’s experimental inhaled therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), delayed completion of the preclinical data package needed for a potential advancement into clinical trials. The U.K.-based company, through an outsourced contract research organization (CRO), now plans to conduct additional…
Accord Healthcare has released a generic version of Esbriet (pirfenidone) for people in the U.S. with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). First approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January, the treatment is now available and ready to be shipped, according to Accord. “We’re proud…
It’s hard to forget traumatic events. Even if we’re not directly involved, these moments often become ingrained in our psyche. When we face trauma firsthand, we tend to remember many of the sensory experiences connected to the event. My most traumatic experience was being intubated after an exacerbation…
Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders can be exhausting. Those of us touched by rare disease — whether as a patient, caregiver, loved one, or friend — understand that anxiety can be triggered by almost any activity. Examples might include anticipating a medical procedure, awaiting test results…
Treatment with metformin, a medication commonly used to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, was associated with a significantly lower risk of death or hospitalization in patients with diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a study based on insurance data. The study, “Evaluation for…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to Tvardi Therapeutics’ TTI-101 for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). TTI-101 is a small molecule, given orally, that acts as a direct inhibitor of STAT3, an inflammatory protein that plays a role in the…
Last Monday was one of my favorite holidays here in Canada. Victoria Day, which honors Queen Victoria’s birthday, kicks off the summer season, and we have an unwritten rule among the cousins in my family to gather at our family lake house after a long winter. Being able to…
Blade Therapeutics’ experimental oral therapy, Cudetaxestat (BLD-0409), was found to significantly reduce lung scarring (fibrosis) and the levels of fibrotic markers and pro-fibrotic molecules in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis. “Cudetaxestat displayed direct anti-fibrotic effects on multiple biomarkers in a preclinical lung fibrosis model,” Blade said in…
