Portland Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group
January 2016 News
Support through the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and Legacy Health System
________________________________________________________________________
Portland PF Support Group Meeting Announcement
The next Portland Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group
will be on Thursday, January 21, from 1:00 to 3:00 .
Topic: Information from the Pulmonary Fibrosis
Foundation Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside
We will meet at:
Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital
Building 2 / 2nd Floor Conference Room
1040 NW 22nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97210
New to pulmonary fibrosis? Have questions? Call TJ Christenson 503 807 4054
or Bruce Williamson 503 709 1384
Or email
pdxpulmonaryfibrosis@gmail.com
January Meeting
January 21, 2015 1:00-3:00
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) held its’ PFF
Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside in WA, DC (Nov.12-14).
Dave Sherry has agreed to come talk to our group about directions
in treatment and other resources presented at the Summit. Dave lives
with pulmonary fibrosis and was a long time leader of the Seattle
Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group. He is now a Pulmonary Fibrosis
Foundation Ambassador and chair of the PFF Support Group Leader
Network Steering Committee.
Mike Henderson, our past PF Portland support group leader and
Chair of the PFF Board of Directors, will also be here to share what
was learned at the PFF Summit in November. It promises to be an
informative meeting! Please mark your calendar!
There will also be time for open sharing of resources, concerns, and
updates. New members and their support people are most welcome!
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Facilitators:
TJ Christenson
503 807 4054
Bruce Williamson
503 709 1384
Portland Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group *
pdxpulmonaryfibrosis@gmail.com
* We have established a dedicated email address for the Portland PF Support
Group so your questions or concerns don’t end up getting lost in personal
mailboxes. Both support group leaders have access to this support group mailbox
and welcome your calls and texts as well
Two recently published articles of interest:
Article from Pulmonary Fibrosis News published in BMC
Pulmonary Medicine, January 4, 2016 re: use of steroids to
treat and manage acute exacerbations in IPF
http://pulmonaryfibrosisnews.com/2016/01/04/immunosuppressantsharm-ipf-patients-acute-exacerbations-study-reports/
In a new study, clinicians propose a new treatment protocol
without immunosuppressants or high-dose steroids to manage
and treat acute exacerbations in patients with idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study, titled “Survival in
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis acute exacerbations: the nonsteroid approach,” was published in the journal BMC Pulmonary
Medicine.
IPF is a severe and irreversibly progressive lung disease marked
by acute exacerbations or flares. Although IPF’s etiology is
unknown, in the last few decades IPF patients have received
steroids and other immunosuppressants (especially
azathioprine) as a treatment; however, there are no studies
proving the effectiveness of these drugs in IPF flares, and some
studies actually suggest they may cause harm.
A group of clinicians investigated whether a history of previous
immunosuppression together with the administration of highdose steroids adversely affected the outcome of IPF acute
exacerbations. To this end, the team studied all patients with
a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis admitted to Attikon University
Hospital in Athens, Greece, from January 2007 to June 2013.
The team identified the cases of IPF and, within these, selected
patients with IPF acute exacerbations (according to the IPF
Clinical Research Networks Investigators consensus), recognized
by an IPF diagnosis, unexplained worsening or development of
dyspnea (shortness of breath) within 30 days, new lung
infiltrates, and no identifiable or treatable cause of lung injury.
The patients were immediately submitted to a “new” protocol
consisting of an immediate termination of immunosuppression
therapy (in the cases where it was being administered), improved
supportive care (including continuous monitoring of the patient,
oxygen supplementation, painkillers, and anti-febrile
medications), administration of broad spectrum
antimicrobials (drugs that act against a wide range of diseasecausing bacteria), and a close evaluation to detect reversible
causes of deterioration. All patients continued to be followed
after discharge, and immunosuppression therapy was not
administered even post-discharge.
In total, out of the 85 IPF admissions, 24 fulfilled the IPF acute
exacerbations criteria (28%). While only 27.3% of the patients
previously treated by immunosuppression survived, the survival
rate increased to 50% in the group not receiving
immunosuppression. The clinicians concluded that
“immunosuppression significantly and adversely” influences
survival, with patients who were never treated with
immunosuppressants responding better to the new protocol and
achieving higher survival rates. Moreover, after discharge, IPF
acute exacerbations patients in the never-treated group had a
one-year survival rate of 83%.
The clinicians highlighted that with their new protocol half of the
patients with IPF acute exacerbations survived, and that a
history of immunosuppression impairs survival. Moreover,
withholding high-dose steroid and substituting it with broadspectrum antimicrobials seems to benefit survival in IPF acute
exacerbation patients.
Gilead Terminates Phase 2 Study of Simtuzumab in Patients With
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2016-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) today
announced that the company is stopping its Phase 2 clinical study of the investigational monoclonal antibody
simtuzumab among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This decision follows an analysis of
unblinded efficacy and safety data by the study's Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), which recommended
that the study be terminated early due to lack of efficacy. Gilead has also reviewed the data and determined
the study has not shown evidence of a treatment benefit in the group of patients randomized to receive
simtuzumab.
Separately, Phase 2 studies of simtuzumab are ongoing in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
(NASH) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The DMC for these studies also met and recommended
the continuation of the studies, which have a 96-week endpoint.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative
therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company’s mission is to advance the care of patients
suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Gilead has operations in more than 30 countries
worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. These risks,
uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the
forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These
and other risks are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2015, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking
statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation to
update any such forward-looking statement.
For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow
Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.