Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2024; 12(32): 6538-6542
Published online Nov 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i32.6538
Timing impact on the initiation of pirfenidone therapy on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis disease progression
Basma M E Mohamed, Mohamed E A Abdelrahim
Basma M E Mohamed, Mohamed E A Abdelrahim, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 343433, Egypt
Author contributions: Mohamed BME and Abdelrahim MEA were the guarantors of the integrity of the entire study, wrote the manuscript, performed the literature study, conducted the study, had access to the data, and played a role in writing this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohamed E A Abdelrahim, PhD, Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 23343, Egypt. mohamed.abdelrahim@pharm.bsu.edu.eg
Received: June 11, 2024
Revised: July 25, 2024
Accepted: July 31, 2024
Published online: November 16, 2024
Processing time: 104 Days and 12.5 Hours
Abstract

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Lei et al, with a specific focus on the timing of the initiation of the antifibrotic agent pirfenidone (PFD) in the management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and its impact on lung function of IPF patients. PFD is an antifibrotic agent that is widely used in the management of IPF in both early and advanced stages. It inhibits various pathways and has antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Despite dosage lowering, PFD slowed IPF progression and maintained functional capacity. The 6-min walk distance test indicated that patients tolerated adverse events well, and PFD significantly reduced the incidence of progression episodes and death. Even when a single disease-progression event occurred, continuing PFD treatment had benefits.

Keywords: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Pirfenidone; Pirfenidone anti-inflammatory mechanism; Pirfenidone antifibrotic activity; Timing impact

Core Tip: Pirfenidone is commonly used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in its early stages, but it also demonstrated a notable impact on the disease in its advanced stages, having a similar degree of efficacy in individuals with IPF and substantial deterioration of their lung function. It was safe when given to patients with advanced IPF and had a favorable benefit-risk profile, making it an appropriate treatment option for patients with IPF.