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COPD News

Mar. 10, 2023 — One in 10 adults suffer from the debilitating effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Research around a new breathing device developed by pulmonologists offers promise for improving ...

Dec. 21, 2022 — Researchers have genetically profiled nearly 200,000 cells from lungs, mapping their precise locations in tissue to discover an unexpected new immune niche in our ...

Dec. 5, 2022 — A six-month study oncludes that the use of portable home air purifiers can improve some markers of cardiovascular health in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or ...

Nov. 23, 2022 — Sometimes healthcare professionals treat patients with opioids such as morphine to relieve symptoms, but there has been a lack of evidence as to whether this helps with severe chronic breathlessness. ...

Nov. 15, 2022 — Airway inflammation and emphysema are more common in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers, according to a new study. Researchers said the difference may be due to the way that marijuana is smoked ...

Sep. 5, 2022 — Researchers have found that dual bronchodilators -- long-lasting inhalers that relax the airways and make it easier to breathe -- do little to help people who do not have chronic obstructive ...

Aug. 2, 2022 — Structural differences in lung airways between men and woman may be the cause of differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence and outcomes between the sexes. According to a ...

July 25, 2022 — Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an aging-associated disease caused by progressive scarring of the lungs, leading to respiratory failure and death. Therapies to treat IPF are limited, making ...

June 21, 2022 — Study into the consequences of childhood infection finds Australian children who had bronchitis at least once before the age of seven were more likely to have lung problems in later ...

May 9, 2022 — New research shows that hypoxia can activate the same group of immune cells that cause inflammation during asthma ...

May 3, 2022 — CT-detected emphysema is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer, a risk that increases with emphysema severity, according to a new ...

May 3, 2022 — Initial tests of a new 'crystal ball' for COPD revealed that it is better at predicting risk for both African-Americans and heavy smokers than existing ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — A new type of cell that resides deep within human lungs and may play a key role in human lung diseases has been ...

Mar. 30, 2022 — Scientists show how cells packed with SARS-CoV-2 detach from the upper airway and spread deep into lungs where severe COVID can take root. They also discovered how an asthmatic reaction to allergens ...

Mar. 28, 2022 — A significant amount of genetic risk for asthma is likely mediated through altered gene expression within the airway epithelium. That is the conclusion of a new study to identify genetic variants ...

Mar. 23, 2022 — The lower airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have unique biochemical features that correlate with the complex communities of lung bacteria typical of this disease, according to a ...

Mar. 23, 2022 — Scientists have developed a drug to treat the uncontrolled secretion of mucins in the airways, which causes potentially life-threatening symptoms in millions of Americans with lung ...

Mar. 15, 2022 — Disease of the small airways in the lungs is a potential long-lasting effect of COVID-19, according to a new study. The study found that small airways disease occurred independently of initial ...

Feb. 23, 2022 — Obesity has been linked to a wide array of health problems. A new study suggests that abdominal obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, may result in a greater risk of ...

Jan. 27, 2022 — A team of researchers has identified previously unrecognized changes in gene expression and cellular interactions in distinct cell populations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ...

'Game-Changing' New Treatment For Asthma Is First In 50 Years

Scientists have found a new treatment for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that may be more effective than current options.

Over the past 50 years, treatment options in the event of an asthma or COPD attack—a similar event—have been relatively unchanged.

"The only treatment we have for attacks are steroids, which aren't always effective and can have serious side effects," Professor Mona Bafadhel, lead investigator of a trial of a new treatment from King's College London, told Newsweek.

When patients are given steroids, such as a medication called prednisolone, to treat an asthma attack, it may reduce lung inflammation but increase the risk of serious conditions such as diabetes or osteoporosis.

Many patients on steroids fail treatment, which means they may need more steroids, have to be re-hospitalized or die within 90 days.

Bafadhel's team studied the effect of injecting patients with benralizumab, a lab-made protein designed to act like an antibody, targeting specific white blood cells called eosinophils to reduce lung inflammation.

Eosinophils are responsible for approximately 30 percent of COPD flare-ups and half of asthma attacks.

Benralizumab is currently used to treat severe asthma but is not used to treat COPD or asthma attacks.

A woman with asthma uses her inhaler. Inhalers can treat shortness of breath among people with asthma, but other medication is needed during an asthma attack. A woman with asthma uses her inhaler. Inhalers can treat shortness of breath among people with asthma, but other medication is needed during an asthma attack. Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images

Bafadhel's team randomly assigned more than 150 asthma and COPD patients being treated in emergency departments of English hospitals into three groups: one received benralizumab and dummy tablets, one received steroids and a dummy injection, and one received both benralizumab and steroids.

The ABRA study was a double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled trial, so neither the patients nor the researchers knew who got what.

After 28 days, respiratory symptoms—coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and sputum—were better with benralizumab.

After 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group who failed treatment, compared to the group receiving steroid drugs. People who were given benralizumab also reported an improved quality of life.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs. It affects 6.2 percent of children and 8.7 percent of adults in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected in 2022.

It can make breathing difficult and trigger symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

"It's a common condition, but for many, it's a major condition that interferes with daily activities such as work, exercise and caregiving," said Bafadhel.

"An asthma attack can be serious and life-threatening when you experience rapid worsening or shortness of breath, and you see no improvement in your symptoms after using an inhaler."

COPD is a long-term lung condition in which the airways become damaged or blocked, often because of smoking or air pollution. Nearly 16 million U.S. Adults have COPD, according to the CDC.

Geoffrey Pointing, 77, who took part in the study, said in a statement: "Honestly, when you're having a flare up, it's very difficult to tell anybody how you feel—you can hardly breathe.

"Anything that takes that away and gives you back a normal life is what you want. But on the injections, it's fantastic. I didn't get any side effects like I used to with the steroid tablets."

Pointing said that steroid treatments used to interfere with his sleep, but he could sleep well on benralizumab.

"I'm just grateful I took part and that everyone involved in the ABRA study are trying to give me a better life," he said.

Bafadhel said in a statement that this treatment "could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD" and that benralizumab was "safe and effective."

Is there a health problem that's worrying you? Do you have a question about asthma? Let us know via health@newsweek.Com. We can ask experts for advice and your story could be featured in Newsweek.

Ramakrishnan, S., Russell, R. E. K., Mahmood, H. R., Krassowska, K., Melhorn, J., Mwasuku, C., Pavord, I. D., Bermejo-Sanchez, L., Howell, I., Mahdi, M., Peterson, S., Bengtsson, T., Bafadhel, M. (2024). Treating eosinophilic exacerbations of asthma and COPD with benralizumab (ABRA): a double-blind, double-dummy, active placebo-controlled randomised trial, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Https://doi.Org/10.1016/S2213-2600(24)00299-6

COPD Triple Therapy Vs LABA/LAMA May Increase Risk For Pneumonia, Death

Patients who switched to triple therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after treatment with long-acting beta2-agonists/inhaled corticosteroids (LABA/ICS) had a higher risk for severe pneumonia and death than patients who switched to dual bronchodilators, according to study findings published in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease.

Investigators in Taiwan compared the efficacy and safety of switching to triple therapy (LABA/long-acting muscarinic antagonists [LAMA]/ICS) vs dual bronchodilators (LABA/LAMA) following treatment with LABA/ICS among patients with COPD. Patients' annual exacerbation rate was the primary efficacy outcome; severe pneumonia and all-cause mortality were the primary safety outcomes.

The investigators conducted a retrospective observational propensity score-matched cohort study using Taiwanese nationwide health care insurance claims data from 2014 through 2020. Diagnostic codes (ICD-9 and -10) were used to identify patients at least 40 years of age with COPD who switched from LABA/ICS to triple therapy or dual bronchodilators from January 2015 through December 2019.

Patients were divided into matched groups for LABA/LAMA/ICS use and LABA/LAMA use, with 1892 participants in each group. The 2 groups were well-balanced for most characteristics (mean age, 73.3 years vs 73.0 years; women, 13.9% vs 13.2%, respectively) and for comorbidities including coronary artery disease, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic stroke. Most patients in both groups had no prior exacerbations at baseline.

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Among frequent exacerbators, triple therapy was associated with lower rates of exacerbation but was accompanied by increased risks of pneumonia and mortality compared to LABA/LAMA.

The annual rate of moderate or severe exacerbations was 105.0/100 person-years in the LABA/LAMA/ICS group vs 101.1/100 person-years in the LABA/LAMA group, and no increase in these exacerbations was found between groups (incident rate ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.91-1.19).

The incidence of severe pneumonia resulting in hospitalization was greater in the triple therapy group vs the dual bronchodilator group (16/100 person-years vs 9.8/100 person-years). Patients who switched to triple therapy vs dual bronchodilators experienced a 1.65-fold greater risk for pneumonia (95% CI, 1.30-2.09), and an increased risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; 95% CI, 1.09-1.78) and respiratory-specific death (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.09-1.92).

Patients with at least 2 prior exacerbations in the LABA/LAMA/ICS vs LABA/LAMA experienced a 21% reduction in annual exacerbations; however, they also experienced a 2-fold increased risk for pneumonia and a 49% increased risk of all-cause death.

Consistent results for the primary efficacy and safety findings were found in all sensitivity analyses.

Limitations include the observational study design, which may have resulted in confounding by indication bias and selection bias; possible informative censoring; and possible unmeasured confounders due to lack of significant clinical data including lung function data and blood eosinophil levels.

"Switching from LABA/ICS to triple therapy vs dual bronchodilators in COPD patients was associated with similar rates of annual exacerbations but was related to elevated risks of severe pneumonia and all-cause mortality," the investigators concluded. "Among frequent exacerbators, triple therapy was associated with lower rates of exacerbation but was accompanied by increased risks of pneumonia and mortality compared to LABA/LAMA."

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