NICE has published final guidance, which recommends pirfenidone (marketed as Esbriet and manufactured by InterMune) for people who have the chronic lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with a forced vital capacity (FVC) between 50% and 80% predicted.
Pirfenidone aims to slow down the irreversible damage in the lungs caused by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; a progressive disease in which breathing becomes increasingly difficult because of scarring to the lung tissues. NICE estimates that around 6,800 people in England and Wales with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could be eligible for treatment in line with its recommendations.
