INCREASE OLE was the open-label extension of the INCREASE study (NCT02630316), which investigated the safety and efficacy of inhaled treprostinil in patients with pulmonary hypertension due to interstitial lung disease. We caught up with Prof. Jean Elwing (UC Health, Cincinnati, OH, USA) to discuss the methodology, inclusion criteria, and safety and tolerability findings from the […]

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder that remains highly undiagnosed. It is estimated that between 1 to 5% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have AATD; however is often not diagnosed. We caught up with Prof. Charlie Strange (MUSC, Charleston, SC, USA) to discuss what methods are currently available for the […]

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, symptoms can include a cough, chest pain and breathlessness, and in some cases the infection can spread to other organs. In this touchRESPIRATORY interview, we speak with Dr. Veronique Suttels (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland) to discuss the strengths and limitations of […]

BEAT tuberculosis (NCT04062201) investigated treatment with a short course of a delamanid-bedaquiline regimen for rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) in South Africa. It was a pleasure to talk with Dr Francesca Conradie (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa) around the aims and design of the BEAT tuberculosis study and the findings from the interim analysis. […]

Asthma is a common and heterogeneous disease affecting approximately 10% of the population.1 Severe asthma – a subset of the disease that affects a fraction of patients with asthma but comprises more than half of the morbidity, mortality and costs relating to asthma – is predominantly caused by smouldering type-2 eosinophilic airway inflammation.2,3 Until now, the main strategy […]

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death.1 However, five-year survival in lung cancer varies greatly based on the stage of the disease at diagnosis.2 Early lung cancer diagnosis through screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality in current or former smokers with a history of 30 or more […]

Judith Durham (of The Seekers fame) died in August this year from bronchiectasis – a timely reminder of the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease of chronic airway inflammation and damage and a tribute to Durham’s personal and professional resilience.1 The measles that initiated Durham’s airway damage is mercifully now rare (although bronchiectasis can develop […]

There is a wide range of eosinophil-associated disorders, from common conditions, such as eosinophilic asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), to rarer ones, such as eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). The advent of eosinophil-targeted therapies is uncovering which of these disorders are primarily treatable by reducing blood or tissue eosinophils, thus […]