Clinician insights on chronic cough in IPF

The brief

• Characterise current diagnostic and treatment pathways for chronic cough in IPF
• Assess clinician perceptions of the investigational therapy, its clinical advantage and potential limitations
• Evaluate likely prescribing behaviour, patient eligibility and positioning within the treatment algorithm
• Identify barriers to uptake including pricing sensitivity and payer restrictions

The problem

No approved therapy for IPF-related chronic cough, and no clear read on how clinicians would adopt a new option

Our approach

11 hour-long in-depth interviews with US pulmonologists and IPF specialists, using a target product profile

• 11 in-depth interviews of 60 minutes each with US pulmonologists and IPF specialists, October to December 2025
• Screened on board certification, 3 to 30 years of practice and at least 15 IPF patients personally managed
• Showed a target product profile alongside a pre-read and pre-questionnaire
• Weighted responses by each clinician's annual unique IPF patient volume

Key outcomes

A quantified view of unmet need, the efficacy bar for a new therapy, and prescribing intent

• Quantified the gap: unmet need rated 7.5 out of 10 against satisfaction with current options at 3.8
• Established the efficacy bar clinicians call meaningful, a 30 to 40% cough reduction and 20 to 30% improvement versus placebo
• Captured strong prescribing intent at 9.1 out of 10, with the limitations most likely to moderate real-world uptake