The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended pirfenidone (Esbriet) as a treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Pirfenidone is recommended for the treatment of adults with IPF when FVC of the patient is between 50% and 80% predicted. Therapy should be discontinued in case of disease progression, which is defined as an absolute decline of ≥10% in predicted FVC during any 12-month period.
Pirfenidone is an immunosuppressant drug with anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic actions. The recommended dose for pirfenidone is 3 × 267 mg capsules taken orally thrice daily, corresponding to a total dose of 2403 mg per day. Most common adverse reactions seen during therapy are nausea, rash, diarrhea, fatigue, dyspepsia, anorexia, headache, and photosensitivity reactions.
The drug is to be used only when it is discounted by the company in agreement with the patient access scheme. The recommendations should not affect patients whose treatment with the drug was started before publication of the guidance.
