Targeting Autoantibodies in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Save

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis carries a high mortality rate and can be a management challenge. Moreover, exacerbations of IPF may be fatal. A multicenter uncontrolled study examined the utility of targeting autoantibody production with revealed surprising results. Eleven patients were treated with therapeutic plasma exchanges and rituximab, followed by intravenous immunoglobulin. Outcomes among the trial subjects were compared to those of 20 historical control IPF patients treated with conventional steroid therapy prior to this experimental trial (http://url.ie/z1hy). Nine of the trial subjects showed improvement in pulmonary function following treatment, compared to only one of the historical controls. Two of the three patients who relapsed after five plasma exchanges responded positively with additional exchange procedures. No serious adverse events were attributable to the experimental medications. The one-year survival was nearly 50 percent, which is remarkable according to the lead investigator, Dr. Steve Duncan.