Treatment of Chronic Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis With Thalidomide
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a rapidly progressive lung disorder that is often
associated with a chronic, intractable cough. The etiology of the cough associated with IPF
is unclear but it is often so severe that it adversely effects the patient's quality of life.
We propose that thalidomide specifically suppresses the cough associated with idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis via its anti-inflammatory properties, by suppressing the excessive
functional up-regulation of sensory fibers with in the respiratory tract of patients with
IPF.
This study is a Phase III, double blinded, randomized, placebo controlled, crossover trial
testing the efficacy of thalidomide in suppressing the chronic cough of IPF. The primary
objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of thalidomide administered daily for 12
weeks to suppress the chronic cough in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as
measured by cough specific questionnaires, scales and improved quality of life.