Researchers at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Tampa General Hospital are conducting a study to determine if a pair of anti-fibrotic medications are effective at helping patients living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic condition that leads to scarring of the lungs.
Participants would be taking nintedanib (Ofev®) and pirfenidone (Esbriet®), which are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and have shown promise in separate clinical trials to potential slow the rate of lung fibrosis.
Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, MD, associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and director of the Interstitial Lung Disease and Sarcoidosis Program at Tampa General Hospital, is leading the current study. He said this trial is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with pulmonary fibrosis.
“What this medicine does is slow down the disease,” Dr. Bandyopadhyay said. “The ultimate goal of the study is to assess if taking these medicines will improve (patients') activity level at home. If that activity level improves, their quality of life gets better.”
To help assess their activity levels, participants will wear the CentrePoint Insight Watch, a device that monitors and analyzes patients' physical activity and sleep patterns in the comfort of their home. By tracking daily steps, movements, and amount of rest, researchers aim to better understand how daily habits influence the progression of IPF and overall well-being.