COPD News

SAN ANTONIO — The lungs of patients with asthma who smoke begin to resemble those of patients with COPD, which may require changes in treatment, Brian Bizik, MS, PA-C, said at the 16th Annual Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference.

In the first half of 2024, many posts on X, formerly Twitter, from U.S. health care professionals discussing COPD therapies focused on ventilation support, medications and palliative care, according to a tracker from Creation Healthcare.

Tezepelumab has received an FDA breakthrough therapy designation as a maintenance treatment for patients with moderate to very severe COPD characterized by an eosinophilic phenotype, according to an Amgen press release.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults smoked more frequently and had a heightened prevalence of COPD vs. heterosexual adults, according to research published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

For patients with COPD who experienced an exacerbation in the last 12 months, add-on azithromycin therapy was deemed cost-effective, according to results published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

SAN DIEGO — Among patients with COPD, the risk for respiratory and cancer mortality went up with mucus plugging in at least three lung segments, according to research presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Respiratory-specific quality of life and exacerbation odds in former smokers with COPD may improve with elevated omega-3 levels, according to research published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

SAN DIEGO — Among patients with COPD and heightened eosinophil levels, mepolizumab lowered annualized exacerbation rates, according to a presentation at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

SAN DIEGO — Six months before dying, patients with COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis vs. lung cancer had reduced odds for outpatient palliative care, according to a poster at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

The European Commission announced approval of dupilumab for treating adults with uncontrolled COPD with type 2 inflammation, according to a press release from Regeneron.