Pulmonary fibrosis causes scarring in the lungs that makes breathing progressively harder. The most common form, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. Two approved drugs—nintedanib and pirfenidone—slow disease progression but don't stop scarring. Lung transplant remains the only option that can restore lung function.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that target specific scarring pathways, anti-inflammatory treatments borrowed from other diseases, stem cell approaches, and combination therapies. Researchers are also studying biomarkers to predict who will progress quickly and testing whether treating underlying causes like autoimmune disease or reflux can slow fibrosis. Gene therapy and inhaled treatments that deliver drugs directly to scarred areas are in early testing.
Anti-fibrotic combinations
Studies are combining nintedanib or pirfenidone with drugs that target different scarring pathways. The goal is stronger slowing of lung function decline than either drug alone.
Inhaled therapies
Several trials deliver anti-scarring drugs directly to the lungs through inhalers. This approach may reduce side effects while getting higher drug concentrations where they're needed.
Progressive fibrosis
Trials now treat lung scarring caused by autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and other conditions. Drugs approved for IPF are being tested in these related fibrotic lung diseases.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on lung function test results, time since diagnosis, oxygen needs, prior treatments, and whether the fibrosis has a known cause.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new anti-fibrotic drugs or combinations to slow lung function decline, usually measured by breathing tests over 12 to 24 months.
- Biomarker studies — Looking for blood or imaging markers that predict disease progression or treatment response.
- Symptom trials — Testing treatments for breathlessness, cough, fatigue, and other symptoms that affect daily life.
- Stem cell trials — Early studies testing whether stem cells can reduce scarring or improve lung function.
- Observational studies — Following people with pulmonary fibrosis to understand disease patterns, genetic factors, and environmental triggers.
Recently added Pulmonary Fibrosis trials
The Effects of Yoga Practice on Exercise Capacity, Arterial Stiffness, Respiratory Function, Peripheral Muscle Strength, Posture and Quality of Life in Children With Cystic Fibrosis
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of exercise training applied through telerehabilitation on exercise capacity, peripheral and respiratory muscle strength, arterial stiffness, posture and quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis.
Real-world Study of Nerandomilast in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis
Nerandomilast is an oral medicine that slows down the loss of functional residual capacity (FVC) in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF). It was tested in two large clinical trials in which participants were carefully selected. In everyday practice, patients are often older, have more other illnesses, or take additional medicines, and it is not known whether the benefits seen in the trials also occur outside them. The Real-world Study of Nerandomilast (ReaSoN-IPF/PPF) follows people with IPF or PPF who begin nerandomilast as part of their usual medical care at several medical centers in Israel. The study does not assign any treatment; the treating physician makes every decision about therapy. The main goal is to find out whether lung function declines more slowly once nerandomilast is started. Because patients have breathing tests before they begin the medicine as well as during treatment, each patient is compared with themselves: the rate at which their FVC was declining beforehand is compared with the rate following treatment. The study also asks how patients feel, using a questionnaire called the K-BILD, and records side effects, hospital admissions, disease exacerbations, and whether patients stop the medicine. Participants attend their normal clinic visits. They complete the questionnaire before treatment starts and again at 6 to 12 months, and their routine lung function results are collected. No extra tests or visits are required beyond the questionnaire.
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