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. 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.