As we head into the holiday season, I want to take a moment to pause and appreciate all we've achieved together in the past 12 months.

It's been a year filled with progress and we are grateful to everyone in our community who participated in making a difference!

From a research perspective, we’re pleased to see great interest and participation in clinical trials for PF. We encourage patients to speak with their doctors about joining research studies to help advance treatments. The PFF offers a Clinical Trial Education Center where you can learn about the phases and types of clinical trials, and search for trials that may be a fit for you.

The PFF Community Registry, a powerful research tool, now has 2,390 participants from all 50 states. Dr. Jeff Swigris, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health in Denver became the first researcher to use data from the PFF Community Registry for his longitudinal study on symptom severity in patients with interstitial lung disease. This is an important milestone and, as enrollment continues to grow, we are starting to receive additional research proposals and more queries of our data.

We were also very pleased to learn that the Phase 3 FIBRONEER trial for IPF successfully met its primary endpoint, and we’re looking forward to seeing additional study data presented in the coming months and new drug application submission to the FDA in 2025. This is a key highlight in the promising therapeutic pipeline for PF, and we’re closely watching several other phase 2 and phase 3 studies as they progress.

Research wasn’t the only thing that made our community stronger this year! Thanks to our generous volunteers, the PFF’s Community Walk Program made huge strides (pun intended). Some notable highlights are the Tampa Community Walk and the inaugural Minnesota Walk to Breathe. The Tampa Community Walk, led by transplant nurses from Tampa General Hospital, raised over $30,000 despite being rescheduled twice and moved to a new location due to hurricane weather. Our amazing volunteers didn’t miss a beat and made it happen! The Minnesota Walk to Breathe raised $12,500 and created meaningful opportunities for members of our community to gather, raise awareness and help support the cause.

I had the pleasure of attending our PFF Walks in Chicago and Dallas and enjoyed meeting many new friends from regions across the country. Our PFF Walk program continues to grow each year, and we appreciate all who participate and fundraise individually or as a team.

Speaking of teams, our PF advocates have done a great job gathering support for the bipartisan SOAR (Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform) Act with a collaboration of partners including the American Thoracic Society, American Lung Association, COPD Foundation, and Pulmonary Hypertension Association. This crucial legislation will help ensure that people living with advanced lung diseases are able to access the correct type and level of oxygen prescribed by their healthcare providers. Help us get this bill across the finish line by contacting your legislators today!

We introduced new resources this year to help bring our knowledge to audiences in an innovative way. Our PFF Summit watch parties featured sessions from the 2023 conference followed by live Q&A with members of our Summit faculty. The PFF Education Symposium covered important educational topics along with sessions on how to get involved with the PFF. We were excited to preview the brand new program PF Basics: Info for Newly Diagnosed Patients during the Symposium.

As 2024 winds to a close, we’re gearing up for 2025 and the PFF’s 25-year anniversary. Check back soon for what’s ahead in the new year!

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
At the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, we are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of those affected by pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a form of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Pulmonary fibrosis is a process that causes lung scarring, in which fibrotic tissue blocks the movement of oxygen from inside the tiny air sacs in the lungs into the bloodstream. Low oxygen levels, and the stiff scar tissue itself, can cause people with pulmonary fibrosis to feel short of breath, particularly when walking and exercising. Over 250,000 Americans are living with PF today. Approximately 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and as many as 40,000 Americans die from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) each year.
As the largest organization committed to raising awareness and providing support, our mission is to accelerate the development of new treatments and ultimately a cure for pulmonary fibrosis. Until this goal is achieved, the PFF is committed to advancing improved care of patients with PF and providing unequaled support and education resources for patients, caregivers, family members, and healthcare providers