Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Pulmonx has won the green light in Japan to market its Zephyr Endobronchial Valve, a bronchoscope-placed device designed to help people breathe easier who have severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With the OK from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare…

A smartphone app developed by Kaia Health to help people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) manage their breathing difficulties at home, via a digital therapy platform, is now available in North America. The mobile app’s availability followed findings in a clinical trial (DRKS00017275), conducted in Switzerland…

Being exposed to pesticides at work increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a large U.K.-based study has found. This was true regardless of whether people smoked or had asthma; smoking and asthma are both known risk factors for COPD. “Focused preventive strategies for workers exposed…

Patients with moderate-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and frequent flare-ups who were given astegolimab, a medicine in Genentech’s pipeline, reported a better health-related quality of life than those taking a placebo, a study found. The findings are from a Phase 2a trial, called COPD-ST2OP (NCT03615040),…

A first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 4 study of the effectiveness of Yupelri (revefenacin) against Spiriva (tiotropium) in improving lung health in adults with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The respective safety of these two approved, once-daily COPD maintenance treatments will also be evaluated. Yupelri, developed…

An anti-inflammatory compound used in China to help treat liver disease — known as magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) — eased the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by reducing inflammation in the lungs, a study in a rat disease model reported. “These findings suggest MgIG might be an alternative for…

Low-cost screening involving a questionnaire and a breathing test may help identify patients with undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a study conducted in China has found. Among the combinations tested, the Chinese symptom-based questionnaire (C-SBQ) combined with microspirometry — a test that measures how much air a patient…

Hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in blood, may be a promising biomarker to assess the clinical outcomes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a large U.S.-based study has found. The findings indicate that unusually high or low levels of hemoglobin were linked to worse clinical outcomes.

Therapeutic Solutions International has filed a patent covering the therapeutic use of JadiCells — a type of mesenchymal stem cell derived from cells lining the umbilical cord — and its various combinations in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The patent application is supported by new data indicating…

The COPD Foundation is partnering with Savana, a machine learning and artificial intelligence company, to develop a way of better identifying people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have not yet been diagnosed, or are at high risk of this disease. De-identified data in electronic medical…