Top pulmonology news from March: COVID-19 perspectives; FDA updates

Healio Pulmonology has you covered. The Editors have compiled a list of popular articles posted on Healio Pulmonology in March.

See below for links to studies on acute respiratory distress syndrome related to COVID-19, perspectives from pulmonary and critical care specialists on the global pandemic, recent FDA news and more.

Study identifies factors associated with ARDS in COVID-19

In a study from Wuhan, China, researchers found that certain factors, such as age or treatment with methylprednisolone, are associated with developing acute respiratory distress syndrome and its outcomes in patients with COVID-19, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. Read more

Patients with COVID-19 may shed virus after symptom resolution

In a small study conducted in China, many patients with mild cases of COVID-19 infection continued to test positive for the virus up to 8 day after their symptoms had resolved, according to a research letter published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more

Body positioning may affect lung recruitability in COVID-19-related ARDS

Alternating between supine and prone positioning appeared to improve lung recruitability in a small cohort of mechanically ventilated patients with severe COVID-19 infection who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome in Wuhan, China, according to data published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more

Case series offers insight on critically ill patients with COVID-19

A research letter published in JAMA has described some of the initial characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Read more

‘Bending the curve’: A pulmonologist’s perspective on COVID-19

Amid increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases as well as concerns about their effect on the health care system, Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, chair of the division of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine with a joint appointment in the pulmonary and critical care division at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and immediate past-president of CHEST, spoke with Healio Pulmonology about working as a pulmonary specialist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

FDA requires boxed warning for montelukast

The FDA has issued a drug safety communication stating that it now requires a boxed warning for montelukast to strengthen the agency’s existing warning about the risk for neuropsychiatric events such as suicidal thoughts or actions associated with the drug, which is used to treat asthma and allergy. Read more

COVID-19: Preparing the public for pandemic

In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is need for global education that will prevent the pandemic from worsening. In this guest commentary, Prashanth Thalanayar Muthukrishnan, MD, notes that the prevention of spread within and between communities is the most pivotal step to take seriously. Read more

FDA approves first treatment for progressive ILDs

The FDA has approved the first treatment — nintedanib oral capsules — to treat patients with chronic fibrosing interstitial lung diseases with a progressive phenotype. Read more

Gefapixant may reduce cough frequency in chronic cough

New data published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine show that a 50 mg dose of the P2X3 receptor antagonist gefapixant significantly reduced cough frequency in patients with chronic cough when compared with placebo. Read more

FDA, FTC warn companies about selling fraudulent COVID-19 products

The FDA and Federal Trade Commission have issued warning letters to seven companies for selling products that fraudulently claim to prevent or treat the novel coronavirus, which has been officially named COVID-19. The products are unapproved drugs that pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal laws. Read more