Follow along in this new series where we showcase how Renown employees embody our mission, vision and values by spearheading new opportunities centered around our strategic pillars and long-term aspiration of being the destination for care across our region.
At Renown, providing both essential and advanced care is one of the core principles that guides us in delivering highly reliable and exceptional care. This commitment drives the investments and advancements that enable us to strengthen our teams, tools and technologies. As a result, we can provide top-tier, patient-centered care every day. Additionally, we are dedicated to enhancing our academic partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. By expanding access to research, clinical trials and key specialties, we are better able to meet the needs of our community.
Leading the way in advancements for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is Dr. Farah Madhani-Lovely, a physician and critical care specialist at Renown.
Dr. Madhani-Lovely recently contributed to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of a new medication for this progressive disease, which affects lung function and breathing ability. For those suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, for which there has been no cure, this new treatment has been long-awaited since no significant medical developments have been made in the past ten years, until now. This new medication slows or may even halt the progression of fibrosis.
As a site-level Principal Investigator, Dr. Madhani-Lovely was responsible for overseeing the clinical trial locally and contributing to the global study, including ensuring the safety and well-being of the local patients participating in the trial, that led to the FDA approval of Boehringer's JASCAYD® (nerandomilast tablets) as an oral treatment option for pulmonary fibrosis.
“Receiving FDA approval for this treatment is a monumental step in helping patients living with this serious disease manage their symptoms, improve quality of life and breathe a little easier, not only here in our northern Nevada community, but far-reaching across the United States,” said Dr. Madhani-Lovely.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, “Your lungs include small air sacs called alveoli. When lungs are healthy, oxygen easily passes through the walls of the air sacs, and into the blood. With pulmonary fibrosis, the tissue around the air sacs becomes stiff and thick, leading to permanent scarring in the lungs, which makes the walls even thicker. The thickened walls of the air sacs make it harder for oxygen to get through and pass into the bloodstream.”
Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe, chronic disease with varying degrees of lung scarring, making it difficult to breathe. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath and cough. While many risk factors may increase an individual's risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic means that the exact cause of the disease is unknown.
To manage IPF, patients will often take medications, participate in oxygen therapy, attend pulmonary rehabilitation, and even in some advanced cases, receive lung transplant surgery.
“With the approval of Boehringer's JASCAYD® (nerandomilast tablets) therapy, patients may experience improved quality of life while managing IPF symptoms, slowing lung scarring and delaying severe symptoms,” said Dr. Madhani-Lovely.
