The importance of support groups in navigating life with PF

Living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is not for the faint of heart. That applies equally to patients, caregivers, and loved ones. While each of us is on a unique journey, there are times when support is necessary. I have shared before that when I was diagnosed with idiopathic…

Weight loss is a recurring topic during my medical appointments, and I frequently discuss it with my transplant team. I wrote about this a couple years ago in a column titled “Using Ozempic in hopes of qualifying for a lung transplant.” At appointments, my body mass index is…

Pliant Therapeutics has discontinued a pivotal Phase 2b/3 clinical trial evaluating its idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment bexotegrast due to safety issues. The BEACON-IPF (NCT06097260) trial was assessing whether once-daily doses of bexotegrast (160 mg or 320 mg) could improve lung function in about 360 IPF patients, ages 40…

It was five years ago this month that COVID-19 was beginning to consume the headlines. Around the world, those headlines provided an early view of what a pandemic might look like here in the U.S. In fact, five years ago school systems here began shutting down because of the threat.

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is seeking participants for its survey-based study Living Rare, which aims to better understand the real-world lived experiences of people in the U.S. with rare diseases. Living Rare, the first large-scale study of its kind in the U.S., seeks to capture the…

Do you ever have one of those days? You know the kind: Nothing seems to go your way and the day ends with a huge sigh. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, I learned that not every day would be sunshine and roses. Last Wednesday was a…

Enrollment is now complete in a Phase 2b clinical trial, dubbed CORAL, that’s testing nalbuphine extended-release (ER) tablets — planned to be marketed as Haduvio — in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who experience chronic cough. That achievement was announced by Trevi Therapeutics, the U.S. company…

Fraternal organizations have long been a part of colleges and universities. It’s not uncommon to find an area around campus labeled as Greek Row. These organizations allow like-minded individuals to join together, taking hold even beyond college campuses. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in…

A Phase 1 clinical trial testing Cereno Scientific’s candidate therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in healthy volunteers has moved to its final part, the company has announced. This first-in-human, open-label trial is testing CS014 at single and multiple ascending doses in about 48 participants. The part that evaluated…

Here in the U.S., there is an effort underway to reduce the size of the government. You may not know that, in addition to writing this column, I’m also a senior moderator for the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums. I recently started a discussion about the government downsizing and asked:…