Amarillo Biosciences has announced that it submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA to begin a study of orally delivered interferon alpha in 60 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

IPF patients will be enrolled from approximately six clinical sites in the U.S. The patients will be given interferon or placebo for four weeks to assess the effect of treatment on chronic cough. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of IPF patients complain of a bothersome persistent cough that negatively impacts their quality of life. This trial is a follow-up to a positive pilot study conducted by investigators at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, in which five out of six IPF patients given orally administered IFN-alpha reported a significant reduction in chronic cough with corresponding improvement in their quality of life.