Top news of September: ERS International Congress, dietary flavonoids for COPD and more

The Healio Editors compiled the most-read news in pulmonology posted in September.

Highlights include a study that found dietary flavonoids may mitigate smoking-related COPD risk; highlights from the European Respiratory Society International Congress including the effects of vilobelimab on mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and sustained quality of life at 2 years after treatment with an emphysema spiration valve system; new research that showed airline secondhand smoke exposure worsens respiratory health; and more.

Read these articles, and others, below, in no particular order.

Dietary flavonoids may mitigate some risk for smoking-related COPD

Higher intake of dietary flavonoids may mitigate some risk for COPD in current and former smokers, according to a study published in European Respiratory Journal. Read more

Vilobelimab may reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia

Treatment with vilobelimab reduced mortality at 28 to 60 days in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia without increasing infections, according to data presented at the ERS International Congress. Read more

Icenticaftor shows promise for patients with COPD, chronic bronchitis

Icenticaftor did not yield a dose response for trough FEV1 at 12 weeks, but treatment was associated with improved symptoms at 24 weeks in patients with COPD and chronic bronchitis on inhaled triple therapy, researchers reported at the ERS International Congress. Read more

Spiration valve system for emphysema yields sustained quality of life benefit at 2 years

Patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema treated with a support expiration valve system had a sustained clinically significant benefit in health-related quality of life at 24 months in the EMPROVE trial. Read more

Pirfenidone may slow lung function decline in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-ILD

In the phase 2 TRAIL1 trial, treatment with pirfenidone slowed the rate of lung function decline in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease and demonstrated a similar safety profile to that observed in other trials of the drug. Read more

Airline secondhand smoke exposure tied to worsened respiratory health decades later

Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure on airlines was strongly associated with worse respiratory health nearly 3 decades after exposure, researchers reported in Chest. Read more

Tezepelumab reduces mucus plugging in patients with moderate to severe uncontrolled asthma

Tezepelumab treatment reduced mucus scores, which correlated with lung function improvement, among patients with moderate to severe uncontrolled asthma, researchers reported at the ERS International Congress. Read more

Digital measurement of asthma medication adherence, lung function useful to guide management

Evidence-based care informed by digital data collection led to a lower treatment burden among patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma, researchers reported at the ERS International Congress. Read more

Inhalation therapy containing manuka honey, amikacin shows promise for respiratory infections

Combining manuka honey and the antibiotic amikacin in a lab-based nebulization formulation was effective for inhibiting Mycobacterium abscessus and drug-resistant clinical isolates in patients with cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis. Read more

Global COPD prevalence, deaths and disability-adjusted life-years declined in recent years

COPD prevalence, death and disability-adjusted life-year rates around the world were lower in 2019 than in 1990, researchers reported in The BMJ. Read more