Pulmonology Month in Review | October 2024

In the field of pulmonology, there have been several important developments that have been covered by the HCPLive editorial team during the month of October 2024. New findings regarding such topics as effective surgeries for asthma and comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management strategies were highlighted.

Additionally, October saw several notable interviews with experts such as Antonio Anzueto, MD, and Stephanie Christenson, MD. These and other news stories were highlighted in the following review:

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Efficacious for Comorbid Chronic Rhinosinusitis, Asthma

One notable study covered in October called attention to differences observed in health care resource utilization in patients with both asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery compared to individuals who did not receive this surgery. Those who had received the operation were shown in these findings to have had fewer pulmonary visits, been given less medication usage, and fewer allergy visits than those who did not undergo the operation.

“Limitations of prior studies on patients with comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma include the lack of quantification of the number of emergency visits or hospitalizations and the lack of clarity on the efficacy of functional endoscopic sinus surgery,” Lauren Roland, MD, MSCI, an assistant professor in the otolaryngology division of rhinology at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues wrote. “Further studies are needed to provide evidence-based insights.”

Allergen Immunotherapy Shows Preventative, Therapeutic Benefits for Allergic Asthma

Another October story covered by HCPLive highlighted a recent literature review pointing to the benefits of allergen immunotherapy for individuals with allergic asthma. The investigators noted immunotherapy’s efficacy in improving patients’ symptoms as well as preventing the onset and worsening of conditions.

This research was authored in part by Laurent Mascarell, PhD, head of Innovation and Science at Stallergenes Greer. Mascarell and colleagues noted that allergen immunotherapy represents a disease-modifying therapy that can address the underlying reasons for IgE-mediated allergies. The investigators advocated for immunotherapy’s integration into standard asthma management protocols given its significance in the prevention as well as treatment of those with allergic asthma.

The Potential Role of Dupilumab in COPD Management, with Antonio Anzueto, MD

In an interview conducted with the HCPLive team, Antonoo Anzueto, MD, professor of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and section chief of Pulmonary at South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, spoke about recently-available options for COPD treatment in the armamentarium for pulmonologists.

“I think we are providing our patients with more and more opportunities. I have patients with asthma that have been on biologicals for a while and the change that I have seen in their life and everything is a day to night difference,” Anzueto said. “So, [that] biologicals are going to be doing the same in COPD is going to be incredibly exciting.”

Anzueto highlighted the US Food and Drug Administration's approval of ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre) in June 2024, as well as dupilumab (Dupixent) as an add-on for maintenance treatment of adults with inadequately controlled COPD and an eosinophilic phenotype in September.

Stephanie Christenson, MD: An "Exciting" New Era in COPD Management

Stephanie Christenson, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, also spoke in an interview in October with the team. Christenson gave her own views on the aforementioned pair of historic FDA approvals of ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre) and dupilumab (Dupixent) for COPD.

“There's so many people that are still suffering,” Christenson said. “So, I think for these different groups of people, where we can potentially have additional drugs to offer to maybe improve quality of life, keep you out of the hospital, even decrease mortality in the long run—if we can decrease severe exacerbations, or even moderate exacerbations, which do increase your risk of mortality—I'm very much on board with trying some of these different drugs. Especially, a lot of these drugs that have shown to be very safe, and we'll see what some of the other ones that are coming down the pipeline.”

CHEST 2024: Ensifentrine Improves Lung Function, Quality of Life Regardless of COPD Severity

At the CHEST 2024 conference, new research was covered indicating ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre) was linked with improved symptoms, lung function, and quality of life regardless of COPD disease severity among patients. The inhaled nonsteroidal nebulizer therapy is a dual PDE3 and PDE4 inhibitor and became the first treatment with a novel mechanism of action to be approved for COPD in over a decade.

“Patients with COPD continue to suffer from impaired lung function, daily symptoms, and impaired quality of life despite available treatments,” wrote investigators. “Ensifentrine provides a novel mechanism of action for clinically meaningful improvements in lung function, symptoms, and quality of life regardless of COPD severity, that is complementary to existing treatment mechanisms.”