title: Clinical Experience of the Long-term Use of Pirfenidone for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Long-term effects of pirfenidone have been poorly understood to date. This study investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of long-term pirfenidone use for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  This survey study was a retrospective observational study. A survey was used to collect clinical information on IPF cases that were treated with pirfenidone. This survey sheet came from physicians belonging to the Diffuse Lung Diseases Research Group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  502 patients at 22 institutes received pirfeidone treatment. Of the 502 cases, pirfenidone treatment was terminated in under one year in 186 cases (37.1%); adverse effect was the most frequent reason for termination. The pirfenidone treatment lasted for two years or longer in 111 cases (22.1%). The mean change in the forced vital capacity (FVC) was -30±224 (SD) mL in the first year of treatment, -158±258 mL in the second year, and -201±367 mL in the third year. FVC improved by 10% or more in the first year in 10 (14.7%) of 68 cases, and showed a change of ±10% in 47 (69.1%) cases. It showed a change of ±10% in the second and third years in 61.7% and 62.5% of the patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FVC improved in only a small percentage of patients who received pirfenidone treatment for a long period of time. However, a decrease in the FVC was prevented for three years in over half of the cases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogura
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054990:Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011728:Pyridones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D011728:Pyridones; C093844:pirfenidone