Boehringer Ingelheim established a presence in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis years ago with a drug that has become a standard treatment for this serious lung disorder. Now the company has the opportunity to bring a different approach to the fatal disease with the first new FDA-approved IPF therapy in more than a decade.

The FDA’s Tuesday regulatory decision for the drug, nerandomilast, covers the treatment of IPF in adults. Germany-based Boehringer, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield, Connecticut, will market the twice-daily pill under the brand name Jascayd.

In IPF, lung tissue becomes thick and stiff. As this tissue leads to permanent scarring called fibrosis, patients find it harder and harder to breath. Shortness of breath and chronic cough are common symptoms. Man

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