Top news of November: Metformin use in asthma, impact of Flovent discontinuation

Healio has compiled the most-read news in pulmonology posted in November.

Highlights include a link found between metformin use and fewer asthma attacks; a rise in ICU admissions, inpatient admissions and ED visits related to asthma following the discontinuation of Flovent in January; a blood test that could tell adults whether they face a heightened risk for COPD and death due to a respiratory disease; guidance on how to help patients with interstitial lung disease lower the chances of having a sick baby; updates to the 2025 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report; and more.

Read these and other top stories in pulmonology below:

Metformin linked to fewer asthma attacks, greater impact with added GLP-1 agonist

Among adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes, there was a link between metformin use and fewer asthma attacks, according to results published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Read more.

ICU, inpatient admission rates related to asthma rise following Flovent discontinuation

Following the discontinuation of Flovent in January, ICU admissions, inpatient admissions and ED visits related to asthma rose in comparison with previous years, according to study results from Epic Research. Read more.

Q&A: Adults may know their risk for COPD with blood test

Adults may soon have an easy way to know whether they face a heightened risk for COPD and death due to a respiratory disease with the creation of a preclinical blood test that assesses 32 proteins, according to a press release. Healio spoke with Gabrielle Y. Liu, MD, pulmonologist, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center and first author of this study published in American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, to learn more. Read more.

‘Promoting honest and accurate conversations’ key before pregnancy in patients with ILD

To help patients with interstitial lung disease lower the chances of having a sick baby, physicians must have “honest and accurate conversations” with them before pregnancy, according to a presentation at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

2025 GOLD report addresses cardiovascular risk, climate change, pulmonary hypertension

To reflect developments in COPD research and care, the 2025 GOLD report features three new sections and several sections that have been updated/revised. Read more.

Exacerbation, hospitalization rates smaller with use vs. no use of metformin in COPD

Among adults with COPD, the odds for exacerbations and hospitalizations were elevated in patients who did not use vs. did use the diabetes medication metformin, according to an abstract presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

FDA clears investigational new drug application for inhaled nicotine replacement therapy

The FDA has cleared an investigational new drug application for the RespiRx Nicotine Inhaler (QN-01; Qnovia), an inhaled nicotine replacement therapy, according to a press release. Read more.

Pediatric asthma ‘potential source of cognitive difficulty’

During assessments of episodic memory, processing speed, and inhibition and attention, children with vs. without asthma had poorer scores, according to results published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Fewer deaths in pulmonary embolism plus pancreatic cancer cases in 2020 vs. 2001

Fewer patients hospitalized for acute pulmonary embolism with pancreatic cancer died in 2020 compared with rates in 2001, according to a presentation at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

Adults use smoking cessation smartphone app more with access to digital pet game

Current adult smokers with access to a digital pet game within a smoking cessation app had better app engagement and program adherence vs. those without game access, according to results published in Journal of Medical Internet Research. Read more.