News alert: According to the last Pharma R&D 2017 Review, Respiratory Drugs the only group decreasing

Pharma R&D 2017 Review, presented recently new drugs by Therapy Groups. Cancer at the top increasing 20%, Respiratory Drugs the only group decreasing.
It is a huge paradox, in the time when we have the progressive increasing of prevalence and mortality of chronic respiratory diseases!!!

Respiratory diseases are STILL among the leading causes of death worldwide.  

Lung infections (mostly pneumonia and tuberculosis), lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) together accounted for 9.5 million deaths worldwide during 2008, one-sixth of the global total. The World Health Organization estimates that the same four diseases accounted for one-tenth of the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost worldwide in 2008.

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study recently compared the contribution of major diseases to deaths and disability worldwide for 1990 and 2010. Among the leading causes of death, lower respiratory infections were ranked 3rd in 1990 and 4th in 2010, whereas COPD was ranked 4th in 1990 and 3rd in 2010. Lung cancer rose from 8th- to 5th- commonest cause of death, while tuberculosis fell from 6th to 10th position in the ranking.

The GBD Study also presented rankings for years lived with disability, among which asthma ranked 13th worldwide in 1990 and 14th in 2010, while COPD ranked 6th in 1990 and 5th in 2010. When premature deaths and disability were combined as DALYs  lost, lower respiratory infections were ranked the leading cause worldwide in 1990, and the 2nd most important cause of DALYs lost in 2010. Also among the 25 most important causes were COPD (ranked 6th in 1990 and 9th in 2010), tuberculosis (ranked 8th in 1990 and 13th in 2010) and lung cancer (ranked 24th in 1990 and 22nd in 2010).

Treating IPF according to ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Clinical Practice Guideline 2015 (CME Online)

Understand the ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Clinical Practice Guideline for IPF with our online module exploring clinical decision making and the rationale behind the changes.

Free access:

http://www.ers-education.org/cmeonline/selection/treating-ipf-according-to-atsersjrsalat-clinical-practice-guideline-2015/video-introduction.aspx

2015 guidelines for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis released by leading respiratory societies

Updated guidelines on the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been released by an international group of leading respiratory societies, The new guidelines, issued by the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society, and the Latin American Thoracic Association, were published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"In these updated guidelines, we analyzed new evidence reported since our 2011 guideline was issued and updated our treatment recommendations accordingly," said Ganesh Raghu, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Washington, director of the Center for Interstitial Lung Disease, UW Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center, and chair of the committee that produced the guidelines. "The updated guidelines do not recommend one treatment regimen over another. All of these recommendations must be weighed individually, considering all the factors used to grade each one, including the confidence in effect estimates, evidence from outcomes studies, desirable and undesirable consequences of treatment, treatment costs, the implications of treatment on health equity, and the feasibility of treatment," Raghu added.

Evidence was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach, with recommendations rated as either "strong" or "conditional." Conditional recommendations are synonymous with weak recommendations.

The following recommendations are new or revised from the 2011 guidelines:

• The recommendation against the use of the following agents for the treatment of IPF is strong:
  • Anticoagulation (warfarin)
  • Imatinib, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor against platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors
  • Combination prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine
  • Selective endothelin receptor antagonist (ambrisentan)
• The recommendation for the use of the following agents for the treatment of IPF is conditional:
  • Nintedanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets multiple tyrosine kinases, including vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and PDGF receptors
  • Pirfenidone
• The recommendation against the use of the following agents for the treatment of IPF is conditional:
  • Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor (sildenafil)
  • Dual endothelin receptor antagonists (macitentan, bosentan)

Recommendations remaining unchanged from the 2011 guidelines include a conditional recommendation against the use of N-acetylcysteine monotherapy for IPF and a conditional recommendation for the use of antiacid therapy.

"Our systematic review of the available evidence on IPF treatments points to the need for additional research and long-term studies of their safety and efficacy," said Dr. Raghu. "This is especially true for treatments that received conditional recommendations in the guidelines. The guidelines empower the clinician to make the most appropriate treatment choices for the patient confronted with IPF and encourage shared decision-making with the well informed patient to choose the most appropriate treatment options tailored to the individual patient's needs," emphasized Raghu.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis World Week 2013

This week is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis World Week 2013!!!

Join IPF Global campaign on www.ipfworld.org!!!

MISSION:

• Creating a national and international network of people working to support patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• Developing a map of the Centers of Excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of IPF.
• Raising awareness, inform, train, guide stakeholders towards this social emergency.
• Offering support and tools to patients and their families to cope better with this disease.
• Promoting a culture of “donation” in collaboration with the organ donors associations.
• Promoting social awareness and sensitivity towards the dangers of smoking in collaboration with the Anti-Smoking Centers.
• Stimulating awareness on the voluntary sector, with particular reference to the needs of the rare disease patients.
• Promoting the knowledge on the new frontiers of biology, medicine, social sciences, psychology, analysis, law, economics, communication, etc. regarding IPF.

"BREATH OF HOPE" 

Share and spread the video of IPF World Week 2013. It was shot in Croatia during a meeting of the associations active in the field of suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in Italy, Modena. People who participated in the campaign are patients, family members, physicians, medical students, all convinced that sharing is the shortest way to get effective goals. 
Together we can fight IPF!!!

Today is a Global Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Day

Today is a Global Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Day!
Respiratory Decade is participating actively in promoting of this important event at the global level! You can join today webcasts from Modena, Italy and Denver, USA!

In 2007, the United States Congress supported the designation of "National Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week" to take place each year in September. This year, as part of a full month of awareness activities, was designated September 22nd as Global Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Day and will offer a "Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis" educational event in partnership with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy, and National Jewish Health, in Denver, Colorado. Sessions will include: “What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?,” "The Role of Support Groups,” and “Tools for Living Better with Pulmonary Fibrosis" and will be followed by a Q&A period.

Webcasts will take place in Modena, Italy, at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (San Geminiano Complex, Via San Geminiano 3) and in Denver, Colorado, at National Jewish Health (Molly Blank Conference Center).

In addition to the broadcast locations in Modena and Denver, individuals will be able to view the webcasts at Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) centers in Europe and the United States. Patients, caregivers, and family members will be able to come together to view the presentation in a supportive environment at a convenient location. A health care professional will be present at these sites to answer any questions viewers may have.
The session in Modena will begin at 4:00 p.m. (CEST) / 9:00 a.m. (CDT)
(Attending in person? Registration begins at 3:30 p.m.)
The webcast will be presented in English with simultaneous live French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations.
The Denver session will begin at 10:00 a.m. (MDT) / 11:00 a.m.(CDT)
(Attending in person? Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.)
To view the webcasts click on 'Live from Modena' and 'Live from Denver' in the top menu.

If you are unable to attend the ILD center viewings, anyone may view the webcasts from the comfort of their own home via the internet.

Webcasts will be available at www.livingwithpulmonaryfibrosis.org

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis WORLD WEEK 2012

Today, we are happy to present a special event dedicated to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: this is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis World Week 2012, which will take place globally from 23 to 30 September 2012! You are welcome to participate actively! Join Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis World Week 2012!

We dont have RARE diseases and we dont have RARE patients! We need more knowledge about this disease! And now we are spreading WORD! Join us!  

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF | Fibrosi Polmonare Idiopatica) is a disease characterized by progressive scarring, or fibrosis, of the lungs. It is a specific type of interstitial lung disease in which the small air sacs of the lung, known as “alveoli,” gradually become replaced by fibrotic (scar) tissue. The abnormal fibrosis and scar formation typically begins in the terminal areas of the pulmonary tree lining the air sacs where gas exchange occurs. Normally, this tissue is a thin layer consisting of a few, easily permeable cells. With IPF, progressive scarring causes the normally thin and pliable tissue to thicken and become stiff, making it more difficult for the lungs to expand, preventing oxygen from readily getting into the bloodstream.

There is a corresponding increase in respiratory symptoms with dyspnea, air hunger and a non-productive cough. Idiopathic, or of unknown cause, IPF is not thought to be related to any other disease or condition, such as cancer or asthma. IPF is a uniformly fatal disease, with an estimated median survival time of two to five years. There are currently no medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of patients with IPF.

There are no known causes for IPF. However, the disease is typically found in people between the ages of 40 and 80, and affects more men than women. Cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing IPF. Some cases of IPF occur in patients who have family members with the disease, which suggests that genetic factors may contribute to the risk of developing IPF in certain individuals.

Although these risk factors are associated with IPF, it is important to remember that they have not been shown to cause IPF -- the cause of IPF is still unknown.

Incidence/Prevalence

Once considered a relatively rare disease, IPF is now recognized as the most common interstitial lung disease (interstitial refers to the tissue surrounding the alveoli).
An estimated 100,000 people are living with IPF in the United States, and more than 30,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.
The incidence of IPF is greater than that of ovarian cancer, similar to those of pancreatic cancer and of all leukemias combined, and nearly 30 times that of cystic fibrosis.
73% of patients with IPF are > 65 years of age.
The 5-year mortality rate for patients with IPF is 50% to 70%.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

To create a teaser for the event, Rosalba Mele developed a poster and a banner that can be attached to emails or posted on associations` websites. The poster and banner allows for any
association using it to personalize with their own logo. The image used in the poster/banner is intended
to make people smile and soften their hearts: Two elderly people blowing soap-bubbles or balloons
who are happy because they have the breath to do so. This is intended to be a starting point to discuss
the disease and its symptoms.

All the graphics will be available for free to any association interested in participating in IPF World Week. 


info line: Rosalba Mele | AMA FUORI DAL BUIO |
+393477111044 | info@fuoridalbuio.it | www.fuoridalbuio.it