Press Releases

The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association today announced plans for an Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) meeting for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB). This meeting is modeled after the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) PFDD public meetings. Drug developers, FDA, and other stakeholders will be in attendance.

NCFB is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation and chronic infection in which the airways become abnormally widened, thickened, and/or scarred. Once considered rare, NCFB is now recognized more widely as awareness, research, and advances in imaging have improved understanding of the disease. Although the first FDA-approved treatment for NCFB became available in 2025, significant challenges remain. Many people still face delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialized care, and difficulties managing the disease’s daily impact.

The NCFB EL-PFDD meeting will:

• Enhance understanding of how living with NCFB impacts daily life experiences;
• Capture diverse perspectives of the NCFB community to help foster timely and effective therapy development; and
• Inform regulatory decision-making with insights on current care and treatment benefit needs.
  

The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that an abstract using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data will be presented as a rapid-fire presentation at CHEST 2026, held October 18-21, 2026, in Phoenix.

The abstract, “Bronchiectasis in Sjögren’s Syndrome: Data from the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry,” compared the demographic, clinical, and microbiologic characteristics of people with Sjögren’s syndrome-associated bronchiectasis to people with bronchiectasis without Sjögren’s syndrome. 

The Registry, an initiative of the Bronchiectasis and NTM Association, is a national database that collects clinical data from individuals diagnosed with non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease. It includes participants from multiple clinical institutions across the United States to help support collaborative research and planning of multi-center clinical trials.

The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association would like to acknowledge that the Registry is supported in part by corporate donors, all of which can be found on the Supporters page of the Association website.

Miami (August 12, 2026) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association today announced a collaboration with Insmed Incorporated, on a multicenter, prospective study designed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of brensocatib in adult patients with non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis.

The Brensocatib Effectiveness, Safety, and Tolerability in Bronchiectasis (BEST-BE) observational study is designed to measure the incidence and frequency of pulmonary exacerbations, or episodes of sudden worsening of respiratory symptoms, in adults 18 to 85 years old with non-CF bronchiectasis observed over a two-year period.

In addition, the study will track changes in participants’ health-related quality of life, and the incidence and frequency of adverse events. To deepen the evidence base for brensocatib, building on the landmark Phase 3 ASPEN study, the BEST-BE study will capture these data across a broad, diverse population of participants, including those with concurrent nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infections and immunocompromised individuals.

Miami (July 28, 2026) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association joins patient advocacy organizations, health care professionals, researchers, and lung health advocates around the world in recognizing the fourth annual World NTM Awareness Day on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are bacteria commonly found in the environment, including in soil and natural and treated water. While exposure to NTM is common, people with bronchiectasis, chronic lung diseases, or weakened immune systems have a greater risk of developing NTM lung disease.

NTM lung disease causes a buildup of excess mucus in a person’s airways, which can cause widening and scarring that make it difficult to clear mucus. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people in the United States have NTM lung disease. That number is increasing approximately 8% every year.

World NTM Awareness Day, established by NTM Info & Research, is a global effort to raise awareness and improve education and access to care for those affected by NTM lung disease.

Miami (July 7, 2026) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that research leveraging data from the Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry was featured in four abstracts presented at the World Bronchiectasis Conference, held June 24-27, 2026, in Hannover, Germany.

The Registry, an initiative of the Bronchiectasis and NTM Association, is a national database that collects clinical data from individuals diagnosed with non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease. It includes participants from multiple clinical institutions across the United States to help support collaborative research and planning of multi-center clinical trials.

Miami (June 24, 2026) – In honor of World Bronchiectasis Day on July 1, 64 landmarks across the United States, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand will illuminate blue to raise awareness of bronchiectasis in the first “BE the Light” campaign.

Bronchiectasis (BE) is a chronic lung disease characterized by enlarged airways that are thickened and/or scarred. Once considered a rare condition, bronchiectasis is now diagnosed more frequently as awareness grows and advances in imaging and research improve understanding of the disease. Yet many people continue to experience delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialized care, and challenges managing the daily impact of this chronic lung disease. 

World Bronchiectasis Day serves as a global call to action to increase awareness, improve education, and advance research and care for the hundreds of thousands of people living with bronchiectasis in the United States and more than one million people worldwide.

MIAMI (June 24, 2026) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association joins nearly 30 patient advocacy organizations and professional societies around the world in recognizing the fifth annual World Bronchiectasis Day on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. 

Bronchiectasis (BE) is a chronic lung disease characterized by enlarged airways that are thickened and/or scarred. Once considered a rare condition, bronchiectasis is now being diagnosed more frequently as awareness grows and advances in imaging and research improve understanding of the disease. Yet many people continue to experience delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialized care, and challenges managing the daily impact of this chronic lung disease.

World Bronchiectasis Day serves as a global call to action to increase awareness, improve education, and advance research and care for the hundreds of thousands of people living with bronchiectasis in the United States and more than one million people worldwide.

Miami (May 13) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association has accepted one new Care Center and three new Clinical Associate Center sites into the Bronchiectasis and NTM Care Center Network (CCN). The CCN includes 62 centers across the United States.

The CCN aims to facilitate access to specialized care and support for the hundreds of thousands of people with bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease.

“People living with bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease deserve access to high-quality, specialized care and resources,” said Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, M.D., Chair of the CCN Steering Committee. “The CCN’s innovative network of expert centers is dedicated to enhancing care and improving quality of life for those living with these conditions.”

Conference focused on advancing excellence and innovation in pulmonary and critical care medicine

Miami (October 23, 2025) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that two abstracts using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data were presented at CHEST 2025, held October 19-22, 2025, in Chicago.

The abstracts are:

• “The Relationship Between Baseline Severity of Bronchiectasis and Incident Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infection: findings from the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry,” which examined whether increased bronchiectasis severity was associated with an increased risk of NTM infections.
• “The Impact of BMI in Bronchiectasis With or Without NTM: Findings From the US Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry (BRR),” which studied how BMI levels may impact outcomes in patients with bronchiectasis and if the presence of an NTM infection influenced those outcomes.

Network facilitates access to high-quality, specialized patient care for bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease

Miami (October 21, 2025) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association has accepted eight Care Center and 17 Clinical Associate Center sites in 14 states into the Bronchiectasis and NTM Care Center Network (CCN). The CCN includes 58 centers across the United States.

The CCN aims to facilitate access to specialized care and support for the hundreds of thousands of people with bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease.

“The prevalence of bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease continues to increase. Patients deserve access to high-quality, specialized care and resources,” said Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, M.D., Chair of the CCN Steering Committee. “The CCN’s innovative, nation-wide network will help us enhance care and improve quality of life for those living with these conditions, as well as accelerate progress toward a cure.”