Safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: integrated analysis of cumulative data from 5 clinical trials
Vanderbilt University Medical Center1, University of Turin2, University of Duisburg-Essen3, Imperial College London4, Monash University5, University of Miami6, University of California, San Francisco7, Columbia University Medical Center8, Inova Fairfax Hospital9, Federal University of São Paulo10, National Jewish Health11, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center12
TL;DR: A comprehensive analysis of safety outcomes in a large and well-defined cohort of 1299 patients with IPF who were followed prospectively for up to 9.9 years demonstrated that long-term treatment with pirfenidone is safe and generally well tolerated.
Abstract: Background Pirfenidone is an oral antifibrotic agent that has been shown to reduce the decline in lung function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We performed an integrated analysis of safety data from five clinical trials evaluating pirfenidone in patients with IPF. Methods All patients treated with pirfenidone in the three multinational Phase 3 studies (CAPACITY (studies 004 and 006), ASCEND (study 016)) and two ongoing open-label studies (study 002 and study 012 (RECAP)) were included in the analysis. Safety outcomes were assessed during the period from the first dose until 28 days after the last dose of study drug. Results A total of 1299 patients were included in the analysis. The cumulative total exposure to pirfenidone was 3160 person exposure years (PEY). The median duration of exposure was 1.7 years (range 1 week to 9.9 years), and the mean (±SD) daily dose was 2053.8 (±484.9) mg. Gastrointestinal events (nausea (37.6%), diarrhoea (28.1%), dyspepsia (18.4%), vomiting (15.9%)) and rash (25.0%) were the most common adverse events; these were generally mild to moderate in severity and without significant clinical consequence. Elevations in alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase greater than three times the upper limit of normal occurred in 40/1299 (3.1%) patients (adjusted incidence, 2.3 per 100 PEY). Elevations were generally transient and reversible with dose modification or discontinuation. Conclusions A comprehensive analysis of safety outcomes in a large and well-defined cohort of 1299 patients with IPF who were followed prospectively for up to 9.9 years demonstrated that long-term treatment with pirfenidone is safe and generally well tolerated. Trial registration numbers NCT00287716, NCT00287729, NCT00662038, NCT01366209.
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20 Oct 2017
TL;DR: The biological processes underlying IPF are thought to reflect an aberrant reparative response to repetitive alveolar epithelial injury in a genetically susceptible ageing individual, although many questions remain on how to define susceptibility.
Abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by progressive lung scarring and the histological picture of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). It is associated with increasing cough and dyspnoea and impaired quality of life. IPF affects ∼3 million people worldwide, with incidence increasing dramatically with age. The diagnostic approach includes the exclusion of other interstitial lung diseases or overlapping conditions and depends on the identification of the UIP pattern, usually with high-resolution CT; lung biopsy might be required in some patients. The UIP pattern is predominantly bilateral, peripheral and with a basal distribution of reticular changes associated with traction bronchiectasis and clusters of subpleural cystic airspaces. The biological processes underlying IPF are thought to reflect an aberrant reparative response to repetitive alveolar epithelial injury in a genetically susceptible ageing individual, although many questions remain on how to define susceptibility. Substantial progress has been made in the understanding of the clinical management of IPF, with the availability of two pharmacotherapeutic agents, pirfenidone and nintedanib, that decrease physiological progression and likely improve progression-free survival. Current efforts are directed at identifying IPF early, potentially relying on combinations of biomarkers that include circulating factors, demographics and imaging data.
793 citations
National Institutes of Health1, National Institute for Health Research2, University of Sydney3, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital4, University of Colorado Denver5, Bristol-Myers Squibb6, Heidelberg University7, Regeneron8, Columbia University Medical Center9, Hoffmann-La Roche10, Claude Bernard University Lyon 111
TL;DR: A multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial to assess the efficacy and safety of pirfenidone in patients with progressive fibrosing unclassifiable ILD, which is characterised by progressive fibrosis of the lung.
368 citations
TL;DR: Concerted multinational efforts by expert centers has the potential to elucidate the basic mechanisms underlying RA‐related UIP and other subtypes of RA‐ related ILD and facilitate the development of more efficacious and safer drugs.
Abstract: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an increasingly recognized complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In addition, approximately one-third of patients have subclinical disease with varying degrees of functional impairment. Although risk factors for RA-related ILD are well established (e.g., older age, male sex, ever smoking, and seropositivity for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide), little is known about optimal disease assessment, treatment, and monitoring, particularly in patients with progressive disease. Patients with RA-related ILD are also at high risk of infection and drug toxicity, which, along with comorbidities, complicates further treatment decision-making. There are distinct histopathologic patterns of RA-related ILD with different clinical phenotypes, natural histories, and prognoses. Of these, the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) subtype of RA-related ILD shares a number of clinical and histopathologic features with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the most common and severe of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, suggesting the existence of common mechanistic pathways and possibly therapeutic targets. There remain substantial gaps in our knowledge of RA-related ILD. Concerted multinational efforts by expert centers has the potential to elucidate the basic mechanisms underlying RA-related UIP and other subtypes of RA-related ILD and facilitate the development of more efficacious and safer drugs.
176 citations
TL;DR: This review highlights the well-known and established safety profile of pirfenidone based on randomised controlled clinical trials and real-world data and key strategies for preventing and managing the most common pirfenIDone-related AEs are described, with the goal of maximising adherence to pirfenidsone with minimal AEs.
Abstract: Pirfenidone is one of two approved therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Randomised controlled clinical trials and subsequent post hoc analyses have demonstrated that pirfenidone reduces lung function decline, decreases mortality and improves progression-free survival. Long-term extension trials, registries and real-world studies have also shown similar treatment effects with pirfenidone. However, for patients with IPF to obtain the maximum benefits of pirfenidone treatment, the potential adverse events (AEs) associated with pirfenidone need to be managed. This review highlights the well-known and established safety profile of pirfenidone based on randomised controlled clinical trials and real-world data. Key strategies for preventing and managing the most common pirfenidone-related AEs are described, with the goal of maximising adherence to pirfenidone with minimal AEs.
136 citations
TL;DR: RECAP provides long-term follow-up and safety data for pirfenidone that were consistent with the known profile, with no new safety signals observed.
Abstract: Background RECAP (NCT00662038) was an open-label extension study in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who completed either the Assessment of Pirfenidone to Confirm Efficacy and Safety in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (ASCEND) 016 phase 3 trial or the Clinical Studies Assessing Pirfenidone in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Research of Efficacy and Safety Outcomes (CAPACITY) 004/006 phase 3 trials. Objective To obtain long-term safety data for pirfenidone in patients with IPF in RECAP. Methods Of the 1,334 patients who participated in the phase 3 trials, 1,058 entered RECAP. The final analysis from enrollment (September 2008) to June 2015 is presented. Results Mean (SD) and median (range) pirfenidone exposures in RECAP were 122 (98) weeks and 88 (>0 to 349) weeks, respectively, with a mean daily dose of 2,091.1 mg. Cumulative total exposure was 2,482 patient exposure years (PEY). The treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) rate was 701.9 per 100 PEY. The serious TEAE rate was 53.5 per 100 PEY, with the most common serious TEAE being IPF (11.1 per 100 PEY). Of the 231 deaths (9.3 per 100 PEY), the most common cause was IPF (5.4 per 100 PEY). The treatment discontinuation rate due to a TEAE was 17.9 per 100 PEY; discontinuations were due to IPF (7.2 per 100 PEY), pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute respiratory failure, rash (0.5 per 100 PEY each), and nausea (0.4 per 100 PEY). For patients from CAPACITY 004/006 who entered RECAP, the mean change in percent predicted forced vital capacity from RECAP baseline at 180 weeks was -9.6%. Median on-treatment survival from the first pirfenidone dose in RECAP was 77.2 months. Conclusions RECAP provides long-term follow-up and safety data for pirfenidone that were consistent with the known profile, with no new safety signals observed.
109 citations
References
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TL;DR: This document represents the current state of knowledge regarding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and contains sections on definition and epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, natural history, staging and prognosis, treatment, and monitoring disease course.
Abstract: This document is an international evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and is a collaborative effort of the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society, and the Latin American Thoracic Association. It represents the current state of knowledge regarding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and contains sections on definition and epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, natural history, staging and prognosis, treatment, and monitoring disease course. For the diagnosis and treatment sections, pragmatic GRADE evidence-based methodology was applied in a question-based format. For each diagnosis and treatment question, the committee graded the quality of the evidence available (high, moderate, low, or very low), and made a recommendation (yes or no, strong or weak). Recommendations were based on majority vote. It is emphasized that clinicians must spend adequate time with patients to discuss patients' values and preferences and decide on the appropriate course of action.
5,834 citations
TL;DR: Pirfenidone, as compared with placebo, reduced disease progression, as reflected by lung function, exercise tolerance, and progression-free survival, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Abstract: Background In two of three phase 3 trials, pirfenidone, an oral antifibrotic therapy, reduced disease progression, as measured by the decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) or vital capacity, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; in the third trial, this end point was not achieved. We sought to confirm the beneficial effect of pirfenidone on disease progression in such patients. Methods In this phase 3 study, we randomly assigned 555 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to receive either oral pirfenidone (2403 mg per day) or placebo for 52 weeks. The primary end point was the change in FVC or death at week 52. Secondary end points were the 6-minute walk distance, progression-free survival, dyspnea, and death from any cause or from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Results In the pirfenidone group, as compared with the placebo group, there was a relative reduction of 47.9% in the proportion of patients who had an absolute decline of 10 percentage points or more in the percentage of the predicted FVC or who died; there was also a relative increase of 132.5% in the proportion of patients with no decline in FVC (P<0.001). Pirfenidone reduced the decline in the 6-minute walk distance (P = 0.04) and improved progression-free survival (P<0.001). There was no significant between-group difference in dyspnea scores (P = 0.16) or in rates of death from any cause (P = 0.10) or from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (P = 0.23). However, in a prespecified pooled analysis incorporating results from two previous phase 3 trials, the between-group difference favoring pirfenidone was significant for death from any cause (P = 0.01) and from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (P = 0.006). Gastrointestinal and skin-related adverse events were more common in the pirfenidone group than in the placebo group but rarely led to treatment discontinuation. Conclusions Pirfenidone, as compared with placebo, reduced disease progression, as reflected by lung function, exercise tolerance, and progression-free survival, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Treatment was associated with an acceptable sideeffect profile and fewer deaths. (Funded by InterMune; ASCEND ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01366209.)
2,289 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the CAPACITY program was designed to confirm the results of a phase 2 study that suggested that pirfenidone, a novel antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory drug, reduces deterioration in lung function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
1,685 citations
TL;DR: Treatment with pirfenidone improved VC and prevented acute exacerbation of IPF during the 9 months of follow-up, and adherence to treatment regimen was similar between pirfenidsone and placebo groups.
Abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disorder without an effective therapy to date. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 107 patients were prospectively evaluated for efficacy of a novel compound, pirfenidone. The difference in the change in the lowest oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) during a 6-minute exercise test, the primary endpoint, from baseline to 6 months was not significant between the two groups (p = 0.0722). In a prespecified subset of patients who maintained a SpO2 greater than 80% during a 6-minute exercise test at baseline, the lowest SpO2 improved during a 6-minute exercise test in the pirfenidone group at 6 and 9 months (p = 0.0069 and 0.0305, respectively). Positive treatment effect was demonstrated in secondary endpoints: (1) change in VC measurements at 9 months (p = 0.0366) and (2) episodes of acute exacerbation of IPF occurring exclusively in the placebo group during the 9 months (p = 0.0031). Significant adverse events were associated with pir...
864 citations
TL;DR: Although photosensitivity, a well-established side-effect of pirfenidone, was the major adverse event in this study, it was mild in severity in most of the patients and relatively well tolerated in patients with IPF.
Abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease without proven effective therapy. A multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised phase III clinical trial was conducted in Japanese patients with well-defined IPF to determine the efficacy and safety of pirfenidone, a novel antifibrotic oral agent, over 52 weeks. Of 275 patients randomised (high-dose, 1,800 mg x day(-1); low-dose, 1,200 mg x day(-1); or placebo groups in the ratio 2:1:2), 267 patients were evaluated for the efficacy of pirfenidone. Prior to unblinding, the primary end-point was revised; the change in vital capacity (VC) was assessed at week 52. Secondary end-points included the progression-free survival (PFS) time. Significant differences were observed in VC decline (primary end-point) between the placebo group (-0.16 L) and the high-dose group (-0.09 L) (p = 0.0416); differences between the two groups (p = 0.0280) were also observed in the PFS (the secondary end-point). Although photosensitivity, a well-established side-effect of pirfenidone, was the major adverse event in this study, it was mild in severity in most of the patients. Pirfenidone was relatively well tolerated in patients with IPF. Treatment with pirfenidone may decrease the rate of decline in VC and may increase the PFS time over 52 weeks. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.
813 citations