Real World Experiences: Pirfenidone and Nintedanib are Effective and Well Tolerated Treatments for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) now has two licensed treatments available. Pirfenidone was the first drug to be licensed and approved for use, followed by nintedanib. We set out our real world experience with these agents in terms of their adverse events profile outside the restrictions of a clinical trial. We have demonstrated in the real world setting, that side effects are common and predominantly gastrointestinal with both therapies. Our study shows that the side effects can be effectively managed in the majority of patients with an acceptable discontinuation rate similar to that seen in the clinical trials. These findings are compelling despite the fact that the patients in our study are older, have severer disease as depicted by baseline lung function and more co-morbidities. Our data provides ongoing evidence of the safety and tolerability of both pirfenidone and nintedanib in patients who would not have met the rigorous criteria to be included in a clinical trial. Both these agents are effective in the management of IPF and slow the progression of this debilitating life limiting condition.
North West Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, University Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M29 9LT, UK. gareth.e.hughes@doctors.org.uk.|Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. gareth.e.hughes@doctors.org.uk.
Gareth
G
Hughes
Manchester Medical School, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. hannah.toellner@student.manchester.ac.uk.
Hannah
H
Toellner
North West Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, University Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M29 9LT, UK. helen.morris4@nhs.net.
Helen
H
Morris
North West Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, University Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M29 9LT, UK. Colm.Leonard@UHSM.NHS.UK.|Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. Colm.Leonard@UHSM.NHS.UK.
Colm
C
Leonard
North West Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, University Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M29 9LT, UK. Nazia.Chaudhuri@uhsm.nhs.uk.|Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. Nazia.Chaudhuri@uhsm.nhs.uk.
Nazia
N
Chaudhuri
IPF; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; nintedanib; pirfenidone