How long should you take Pirfenidone?

Pirfenidone (Pirfenidone) is a maintenance drug designed for long-term treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung disease. If you have serious side effects, your healthcare provider may decide you need to reduce your dose or permanently stop treatment. In some cases, your doctor may need to change your pirfenidone dose or stop treatment because of liver or kidney toxicity, gastric side effects, sun sensitivity, skin rash, or certain drug interactions.

Once patients are diagnosed, they should start treatment with drugs specific to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This applies to any disease, but especially a disease like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, whose 5-year median survival is comparable to or even worse than many cancers. Long-term safety studies and real-life experience clearly demonstrate that these side effects are usually mild and rarely lead to treatment discontinuation. In most cases, a temporary reduction in the final dose may also allow continuation of the medication. Several retrospective and prospective studies have shown that a 10% decrease in lung function within 6 or 12 months is associated with a significant increase in mortality.

Pirfenidone has been approved for marketing in China under the trade name of Asri. It has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance and is limited to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The specifications produced by domestic pharmaceutical factoriesThe price of 100mg*54 capsules per box is around RMB 500. There are also generic pirfenidone drugs produced in other countries overseas. For example, the price of a box of 200mg*30 tablets produced by an Indian pharmaceutical factory is around RMB 100 (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The ingredients of the generic drugs are basically the same as those of the original drug. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult Yaode Medical Consultant.