Real-World Experience in the Clinical Use of Pirfenidone in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Taiwan: A Post-Marketing Surveillance Study.
Journal
Biomedicines
Journal Volume
12
Journal Issue
10
Start Page
Article number 2348
ISSN
2227-9059
Date Issued
2024-10-15
Author(s)
Tu, Chih-Yen
Chen, Chia-Hung
Kao, Kuo-Chin
Hsu, Jeng-Yuan
Lin, Meng-Chih
Chong, Inn-Wen
Sheu, Chau-Chyun
Abstract
Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious, progressive lung disease for which treatments are scarce. Pirfenidone has been approved for the treatment of IPF in Taiwan since 2016. This study aimed to gain a better insight into pirfenidone’s real-world safety and effectiveness in adult IPF patients in Taiwan. Methods: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, post-marketing surveillance study, and analyzed data from a small sample of 50 IPF patients treated with pirfenidone. Results: Most patients were men, with a mean age of 72.8 years (±10.3). They were in physiology stage I or II with a baseline mean forced vital capacity (FVC) of 2.236 L (73.8% of predicted value). After treatment with pirfenidone, the mean FVC decreased by 0.088 L at week 24 and 0.127 L at week 52. The mean 6 min walk test was 325.5 m at baseline, increased by 8.1 m at week 24, but then decreased by 23.0 m at week 52. These changes from baseline did not reach statistical significance. Pirfenidone prevented worsening of cough but did not stabilize dyspnea. During 52 weeks of treatment, the incidence of total adverse drug reactions was 62.0%, with decreased appetite (32.0%) and pruritis (10.0%) being the most common. The adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation were decreased appetite (8.0%), nausea (4.0%), and respiratory failure (4.0%). No safety concern was raised by the study. Treatment with pirfenidone stabilized both FVC and the subjective symptom of cough in most patients. Conclusions: This post-marketing surveillance study demonstrated that pirfenidone is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment in patients with IPF in Taiwan.
Subjects
Taiwan
forced vital capacity
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
pirfenidone
real-world registry
safety
SDGs
Type
journal article