Vicore at Chardan’s 10th annual healthcare conference: IPF bet builds

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Vicore Pharma and MannKind Corporation took the stage at Chardan's 10th Annual Healthcare Conference to discuss their respective approaches to tackling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive lung disease with limited treatment options. Both companies emphasized the importance of developing combination therapies and prioritizing tolerability in their new treatments.

Vicore Pharma showcased its lead drug, buloxibutid, a first-in-class AT2 receptor agonist, which targets epithelial repair and could offer improved lung function and better tolerability. The company's phase IIb ASPIRE trial, which enrolled over 360 patients across 14 countries, finished enrollment ahead of schedule and is expected to deliver top-line results in mid-2027.

Vicore believes that a successful outcome would provide an effect on forced vital capacity (FVC) similar to or better than that of nerandomilast, with tolerability serving as the key differentiating factor.

MannKind Corporation presented data from its inhaled nintedanib program, called INFLOW 2, which showed no diarrhea or other tolerability-related discontinuations in early testing. The trial included around 60 to 70 patients, both healthy volunteers and IPF patients, and is part of MannKind's broader respiratory pipeline. The company's CEO, Mike Castagna, highlighted the potential of inhaled therapies to reduce side effects and the importance of addressing gastrointestinal issues in oral treatments.