Expression analysis of extracellular microRNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: MicroRNA (miRNA) are transcriptional regulators implicated in pulmonary sarcoidosis and packaged in extracellular vesicles (EV) during cellular communication. We characterized EV and investigated miRNA expression in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from sarcoidosis patients. METHODS: EV were characterized for size(s) using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and protein markers by immunoblotting. Twelve extracellular and 5 cellular miRNA were investigated in BAL from 16 chest X-ray stage-I (CXR-I) and 17 CXR stage-II (CXR-II) sarcoidosis patients. Associations between miRNA and disease characteristics (extrapulmonary involvement, pulmonary function and BAL cell profile) were statistically analysed. RESULTS: BAL from sarcoidosis patients contained exosomes and microvesicles (MV) as EV. In these EV, expression of miR-146a (P = 0.007), miR-150 (P = 0.003) and BAL cellular miR-21 (P = 0.01) was increased in CXR-II compared with CXR-I. Other detected EV (miR-21 and miR-26a) and cellular (miR-31, miR-129-3p, miR-146a and miR-452) miRNA were not differentially expressed. The investigated miRNA did not reflect extrapulmonary involvement, but EV miR-146a and miR-150 were negatively correlated with pulmonary function (miR-146a with vital capacity (VC; Spearman's correlation coefficient (rs ), P = -0.657, 0.007), percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ; -0.662, 0.006) and FEV1 /forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (-0.649, 0.008); miR-150 correlated negatively with VC (-0.584, 0.019) and FEV1 /FVC ratio (-0.746, 0.001) in CXR-II cases). CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that exosomes and microvesicles as extracellular vesicles are present in the bronchoalveolar space of sarcoidosis patients and they differentially express EV miRNA (miR-146a and miR-150), the expression of which correlates negatively with pulmonary function indices. The significance of these findings for disease pathophysiology and clinical course require further investigation.

Efficacy and safety of nintedanib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Nintedanib (formerly known as BIBF 1120) is an intracellular inhibitor that targets multiple tyrosine kinases. A phase 2 trial suggested that treatment with 150 mg of nintedanib twice daily reduced lung-function decline and acute exacerbations in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: We conducted two replicate 52-week, randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trials (INPULSIS-1 and INPULSIS-2) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 150 mg of nintedanib twice daily as compared with placebo in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The primary end point was the annual rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC). Key secondary end points were the time to the first acute exacerbation and the change from baseline in the total score on the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, both assessed over a 52-week period. RESULTS: A total of 1066 patients were randomly assigned in a 3:2 ratio to receive nintedanib or placebo. The adjusted annual rate of change in FVC was -114.7 ml with nintedanib versus -239.9 ml with placebo (difference, 125.3 ml; 95% confidence interval [CI], 77.7 to 172.8; P<0.001) in INPULSIS-1 and -113.6 ml with nintedanib versus -207.3 ml with placebo (difference, 93.7 ml; 95% CI, 44.8 to 142.7; P<0.001) in INPULSIS-2. In INPULSIS-1, there was no significant difference between the nintedanib and placebo groups in the time to the first acute exacerbation (hazard ratio with nintedanib, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.54 to 2.42; P=0.67); in INPULSIS-2, there was a significant benefit with nintedanib versus placebo (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.77; P=0.005). The most frequent adverse event in the nintedanib groups was diarrhea, with rates of 61.5% and 18.6% in the nintedanib and placebo groups, respectively, in INPULSIS-1 and 63.2% and 18.3% in the two groups, respectively, in INPULSIS-2. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, nintedanib reduced the decline in FVC, which is consistent with a slowing of disease progression; nintedanib was frequently associated with diarrhea, which led to discontinuation of the study medication in less than 5% of patients. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; INPULSIS-1 and INPULSIS-2 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01335464 and NCT01335477.).

Nintedanib in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and preserved lung volume.

RATIONALE: There is no consensus as to when treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) should be initiated. Some physicians prefer not to treat patients with preserved lung volume. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether patients with IPF and preserved lung volume receive the same benefit from nintedanib as patients with more impaired lung volume. METHODS: Post hoc subgroup analyses of pooled data from the two replicate phase III INPULSIS trials by baseline FVC % predicted (≤90%, >90%). RESULTS: At baseline, 274 patients had FVC >90% predicted and 787 patients had FVC ≤90% predicted. In patients treated with placebo, the adjusted annual rate of decline in FVC was consistent between patients with FVC >90% predicted and FVC ≤90% predicted (-224.6 mL/year and -223.6 mL/year, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between these subgroups in the effect of nintedanib on annual rate of decline in FVC, change from baseline in St George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score or time to first acute exacerbation. In patients with baseline FVC >90% predicted and ≤90% predicted, respectively, the adjusted annual rate of decline in FVC with nintedanib was -91.5 mL/year (difference vs placebo: 133.1 mL/year (95% CI 68.0 to 198.2)) and -121.5 mL/year (difference vs placebo: 102.1 mL/year (95% CI 61.9 to 142.3)). Adverse events associated with nintedanib were similar in both subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IPF and preserved lung volume (FVC >90% predicted) have the same rate of FVC decline and receive the same benefit from nintedanib as patients with more impaired lung volume. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01335464 and NCT01335477.

Acute exacerbations in the INPULSIS trials of nintedanib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Time to first investigator-reported acute exacerbation was a key secondary end-point in the INPULSIS trials of nintedanib in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).We used the INPULSIS trial data to investigate risk factors for acute exacerbation of IPF and to explore the impact of nintedanib on risk and outcome of investigator-reported and adjudicated confirmed/suspected acute exacerbations. Mortality following these events and events adjudicated as not acute exacerbations was analysed using the log rank test.Risk of acute exacerbations was most strongly associated with the following variables: baseline forced vital capacity (higher risk with lower value), baseline supplemental oxygen (higher risk with use), baseline antacid medication (higher risk with use), treatment (higher risk with placebo), and for confirmed/suspected acute exacerbations, cigarette smoking. Mortality was similar following investigator-reported and adjudicated confirmed/suspected acute exacerbations. Nintedanib had no significant effect on risk of mortality post-exacerbation.Investigator-reported acute exacerbations of IPF are associated with similar risk factors and outcomes as adjudicated confirmed/suspected acute exacerbations.

Predictors of Mortality Poorly Predict Common Measures of Disease Progression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

RATIONALE: Mortality prediction is well studied in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but little is known about predictors of premortality disease progression. Identification of patients at risk for disease progression would be useful for clinical decision-making and designing clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: To develop prediction models for disease progression in IPF. METHODS: In a large clinical trial cohort of patients with IPF (n = 1,113), we comprehensively screened multivariate models of candidate baseline and past-change predictors for disease progression defined by 48-week worsening of FVC, dyspnea (University of California, San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire [UCSD SOBQ]), 6-minute-walk distance (6MWD), and occurrence of respiratory hospitalization, or death. Progression outcomes were modeled as appropriate, by slope change using linear regression models and time to binary outcomes using Cox proportional hazards models. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The overall cohort experienced considerable disease progression. Top-performing prediction models did not meaningfully predict most measures of disease progression. For example, prediction modeling explained less than or equal to 1% of the observed variation in 48-week slope change in FVC, UCSD SOBQ, and 6MWD. Models performed better for binary measures of time to disease progression but were still largely inaccurate (cross-validated C statistic ≤0.63 for ≥10% decline in FVC or death, ≤0.68 for ≥20-U increase in UCSD SOBQ or death, ≤0.70 for ≥100 m decline in 6MWD or death). Models for time to respiratory hospitalization or death (C statistic ≤0.77) or death alone (C statistic ≤0.81) demonstrated acceptable discriminative performance. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical prediction models poorly predicted physiologic and functional disease progression in IPF. This is in contrast to respiratory hospitalization and mortality prediction.

Effect of continued treatment with pirfenidone following clinically meaningful declines in forced vital capacity: analysis of data from three phase 3 trials in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of treatment response in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is complicated by the variable clinical course. We examined the variability in the rate of disease progression and evaluated the effect of continued treatment with pirfenidone in patients who experienced meaningful progression during treatment. METHODS: The source population included patients enrolled in the ASCEND and CAPACITY trials (N=1247). Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to characterise the relationship between changes in FVC during consecutive 6-month intervals in the placebo population. Outcomes following a ≥10% decline in FVC were evaluated by comparing the proportion of patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups who experienced a ≥10% decline in FVC or death during the subsequent 6 months. RESULTS: A weak negative correlation was observed between FVC changes during consecutive intervals in the placebo population (coefficient, -0.146, p<0.001), indicating substantial variability. Thirty-four (5.5%) and 68 (10.9%) patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups, respectively, experienced a ≥10% decline in FVC by month 6. During the subsequent 6 months, fewer patients in the pirfenidone group compared with placebo experienced a ≥10% decline in FVC or death (5.9% vs 27.9%; relative difference, 78.9%). There was one (2.9%) death in the pirfenidone group and 14 (20.6%) deaths in the placebo group (relative difference, 85.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal FVC data from patients with IPF showed substantial intrasubject variability, underscoring the inability to reliably assess therapeutic response using serial FVC trends. In patients who progressed during treatment, continued treatment with pirfenidone resulted in a lower risk of subsequent FVC decline or death. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT01366209, NCT00287729, NCT00287716.

Pirfenidone for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis of pooled data from three multinational phase 3 trials.

Pirfenidone is an antifibrotic agent that has been evaluated in three multinational phase 3 trials in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We analysed pooled data from the multinational trials to obtain the most precise estimates of the magnitude of treatment effect on measures of disease progression.All patients randomised to pirfenidone 2403 mg·day(-1) or placebo in the CAPACITY or ASCEND studies were included in the analysis. Pooled analyses of outcomes at 1 year were based on the pre-specified end-points and analytic methods described in the ASCEND study protocol.A total of 1247 patients were included in the analysis. At 1 year, pirfenidone reduced the proportion of patients with a ≥10% decline in per cent predicted forced vital capacity or death by 43.8% (95% CI 29.3-55.4%) and increased the proportion of patients with no decline by 59.3% (95% CI 29.0-96.8%). A treatment benefit was also observed for progression-free survival, 6-min walk distance and dyspnoea. Gastrointestinal and skin-related adverse events were more common in the pirfenidone group, but rarely led to discontinuation.Analysis of data from three phase 3 trials demonstrated that treatment with pirfenidone for 1 year resulted in clinically meaningful reductions in disease progression in patients with IPF.

Genome-wide imputation study identifies novel HLA locus for pulmonary fibrosis and potential role for auto-immunity in fibrotic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Fibrotic idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (fIIP) are a group of fatal lung diseases with largely unknown etiology and without definitive treatment other than lung transplant to prolong life. There is strong evidence for the importance of both rare and common genetic risk alleles in familial and sporadic disease. We have previously used genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data to identify 10 risk loci for fIIP. Here we extend that work to imputed genome-wide genotypes and conduct new RNA sequencing studies of lung tissue to identify and characterize new fIIP risk loci. RESULTS: We performed genome-wide genotype imputation association analyses in 1616 non-Hispanic white (NHW) cases and 4683 NHW controls followed by validation and replication (878 cases, 2017 controls) genotyping and targeted gene expression in lung tissue. Following meta-analysis of the discovery and replication populations, we identified a novel fIIP locus in the HLA region of chromosome 6 (rs7887 P meta = 3.7 × 10(-09)). Imputation of classic HLA alleles identified two in high linkage disequilibrium that are associated with fIIP (DRB1*15:01 P = 1.3 × 10(-7) and DQB1*06:02 P = 6.1 × 10(-8)). Targeted RNA-sequencing of the HLA locus identified 21 genes differentially expressed between fibrotic and control lung tissue (Q < 0.001), many of which are involved in immune and inflammatory response regulation. In addition, the putative risk alleles, DRB1*15:01 and DQB1*06:02, are associated with expression of the DQB1 gene among fIIP cases (Q < 1 × 10(-16)). CONCLUSIONS: We have identified a genome-wide significant association between the HLA region and fIIP. Two HLA alleles are associated with fIIP and affect expression of HLA genes in lung tissue, indicating that the potential genetic risk due to HLA alleles may involve gene regulation in addition to altered protein structure. These studies reveal the importance of the HLA region for risk of fIIP and a basis for the potential etiologic role of auto-immunity in fIIP.

Unified baseline and longitudinal mortality prediction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The Gender-Age-Physiology (GAP) model is a validated, baseline-risk prediction model for mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Longitudinal variables have been shown to contribute to risk prediction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and may improve the predictive performance of the baseline GAP model. Our aims were to further validate the GAP model and evaluate whether the addition of longitudinal variables improves its predictive performance. The study population was derived from a large clinical trials cohort of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n=1109). Model performance was determined by improvement in the C-statistic, net reclassification improvement, clinical net reclassification improvement, and a goodness-of-fit test. The GAP model had good discriminative performance with a C-statistic of 0.757 (95% CI 0.750-0.764). However, the original GAP model tended to overestimate risk in this cohort. A novel, easy to use model, consisting of the original GAP predictors plus history of respiratory hospitalisation and 24-week change in forced vital capacity (the longitudinal GAP model) improved model performance with a C-statistic of 0.785 (95% CI 0.780-0.790), net reclassification improvement of 8.5%, clinical net reclassification improvement of 25%, and a goodness-of-fit test of 0.929. The Longitudinal GAP model, along with the original GAP model, may unify baseline and longitudinal mortality risk prediction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

An official European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society research statement: interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features.

Many patients with an idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) have clinical features that suggest an underlying autoimmune process but do not meet established criteria for a connective tissue disease (CTD). Researchers have proposed differing criteria and terms to describe these patients, and lack of consensus over nomenclature and classification limits the ability to conduct prospective studies of a uniform cohort.The "European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society Task Force on Undifferentiated Forms of Connective Tissue Disease-associated Interstitial Lung Disease" was formed to create consensus regarding the nomenclature and classification criteria for patients with IIP and features of autoimmunity.The task force proposes the term "interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features" (IPAF) and offers classification criteria organised around the presence of a combination of features from three domains: a clinical domain consisting of specific extra-thoracic features, a serologic domain consisting of specific autoantibodies, and a morphologic domain consisting of specific chest imaging, histopathologic or pulmonary physiologic features.A designation of IPAF should be used to identify individuals with IIP and features suggestive of, but not definitive for, a CTD. With IPAF, a sound platform has been provided from which to launch the requisite future research investigations of a more uniform cohort.

All-cause mortality rate in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Implications for the design and execution of clinical trials.

RATIONALE: FVC has emerged as a standard primary endpoint in clinical trials evaluating novel therapies for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, it has recently been proposed that all-cause mortality or a composite comprised of all-cause mortality and all-cause nonelective hospitalization be adopted as the standard primary endpoint for IPF clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of mortality in three phase 3 clinical trials and evaluate the feasibility of mortality trials in patients with IPF. METHODS: The study population included 622 patients randomized to placebo in the CAPACITY studies evaluating pirfenidone (n = 347) or the INSPIRE study evaluating interferon-γ1b (n = 275). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 2-year survival was fit to the exponential distribution and used to calculate sample size requirements for a mortality study with 90% power to detect a 25% reduction in all-cause mortality with a two-sided α of 0.05. Modeling analyses were used to assess the effects of selected variables on sample size and study design. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 73 deaths occurred during the period of observation (mean duration of follow-up, 80.1 wk). The all-cause mortality rate was 6.6% at 1 year and 13.7% at 2 years. Based on the observed 2-year mortality rate, a total of 508 events would be required to detect a significant treatment benefit in a two-arm trial with 90% power to detect a 25% reduction in all-cause mortality. The estimated sample size for a trial enrolled over 3 years with a maximum follow-up period of 5 years is 2,582 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The all-cause mortality rate is relatively low in patients with IPF with mild to moderate impairment in lung function. Accordingly, the necessary size, duration, and cost of all-cause mortality trials in this population are substantial and likely prohibitive.

Efficacy of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease with a high mortality rate. Because the signaling pathways activated by several tyrosine kinase receptors have been shown to be involved in lung fibrosis, it has been suggested that the inhibition of these receptors may slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: In a 12-month, phase 2 trial, we assessed the efficacy and safety of four different oral doses of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor BIBF 1120 as compared with placebo in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The primary end point was the annual rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC). Secondary end points included acute exacerbations, quality of life (measured with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ]), and total lung capacity. RESULTS: A total of 432 patients underwent randomization to receive one of four doses of BIBF 1120 (50 mg once a day, 50 mg twice a day, 100 mg twice a day, or 150 mg twice a day) or placebo. In the group receiving 150 mg of BIBF 1120 twice a day, FVC declined by 0.06 liters per year, as compared with 0.19 liters per year in the placebo group, a 68.4% reduction in the rate of loss with BIBF 1120 (P = 0.06 with the closed testing procedure for multiplicity correction; P = 0.01 with the hierarchical testing procedure). This dose also resulted in a lower incidence of acute exacerbations, as compared with placebo (2.4 vs. 15.7 per 100 patient-years, P = 0.02) and a small decrease in the SGRQ score (assessed on a scale of 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating better quality of life) as compared with an increase with placebo (-0.66 vs. 5.46, P = 0.007). Gastrointestinal symptoms (which led to more discontinuations in the group receiving 150 mg twice a day than in the placebo group) and increases in levels of liver aminotransferases were more frequent in the group receiving 150 mg of BIBF 1120 twice daily than in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, BIBF 1120 at a dose of 150 mg twice daily, as compared with placebo, was associated with a trend toward a reduction in the decline in lung function, with fewer acute exacerbations and preserved quality of life. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00514683 .).

A common MUC5B promoter polymorphism and pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The mutations that have been implicated in pulmonary fibrosis account for only a small proportion of the population risk. METHODS: Using a genomewide linkage scan, we detected linkage between idiopathic interstitial pneumonia and a 3.4-Mb region of chromosome 11p15 in 82 families. We then evaluated genetic variation in this region in gel-forming mucin genes expressed in the lung among 83 subjects with familial interstitial pneumonia, 492 subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and 322 controls. MUC5B expression was assessed in lung tissue. RESULTS: Linkage and fine mapping were used to identify a region of interest on the p-terminus of chromosome 11 that included gel-forming mucin genes. The minor-allele of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs35705950, located 3 kb upstream of the MUC5B transcription start site, was present at a frequency of 34% among subjects with familial interstitial pneumonia, 38% among subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and 9% among controls (allelic association with familial interstitial pneumonia, P=1.2×10(-15); allelic association with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, P=2.5×10(-37)). The odds ratios for disease among subjects who were heterozygous and those who were homozygous for the minor allele of this SNP were 6.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.9 to 12.0) and 20.8 (95% CI, 3.8 to 113.7), respectively, for familial interstitial pneumonia and 9.0 (95% CI, 6.2 to 13.1) and 21.8 (95% CI, 5.1 to 93.5), respectively, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. MUC5B expression in the lung was 14.1 times as high in subjects who had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as in those who did not (P<0.001). The variant allele of rs35705950 was associated with up-regulation in MUC5B expression in the lung in unaffected subjects (expression was 37.4 times as high as in unaffected subjects homozygous for the wild-type allele, P<0.001). MUC5B protein was expressed in lesions of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: A common polymorphism in the promoter of MUC5B is associated with familial interstitial pneumonia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our findings suggest that dysregulated MUC5B expression in the lung may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others.).

6-Minute walk distance is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

6-min walk distance (6MWD) has recently been shown to be associated with the risk of mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); however, the independent contribution of 6MWD to the prediction of mortality risk has not been evaluated in a large, well-defined population of patients with IPF. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to characterise the relationship between risk factors of interest and all-cause mortality in IPF patients who completed a week 24 study visit in a clinical trial evaluating interferon γ-1b (n=748). Risk factors of interest included the independent predictors of mortality in the previously published clinical prediction model together with 6MWD and 24-week change in 6MWD. Baseline 6MWD <250 m was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of mortality (hazard ratio 2.12, 95% CI 1.15-3.92) and a 24-week decline in 6MWD >50 m was associated with a nearly three-fold increase in mortality risk (hazard ratio 2.73; 95% CI 1.60-4.66). Inclusion of 6MWD data improved model discrimination compared with the original model (C-statistic 0.80 (95% CI 0.76-0.85) versus 0.75 (0.71-0.79)). Both 6MWD and change in 6MWD are independent predictors of mortality in patients with IPF. The addition of 6MWD to the clinical prediction model improves model discrimination compared with the original model.

Comprehensive assessment of the long-term safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pirfenidone is an oral antifibrotic agent that is approved in several countries for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We performed a comprehensive analysis of safety across four clinical trials evaluating pirfenidone in patients with IPF. METHODS: All patients receiving pirfenidone 2403 mg/day in the Phase 3 CAPACITY studies (Studies 004 and 006) and all patients receiving at least one dose of pirfenidone in one of two ongoing open-label studies in patients with IPF (Studies 002 and 012) were selected for inclusion. Safety outcomes were evaluated from baseline until 28 days after the last dose of study drug. RESULTS: A total of 789 patients were included in the analysis. The median duration of exposure to pirfenidone was 2.6 years (range, 1 week-7.7 years), and the cumulative total exposure was 2059 person exposure years (PEY). Gastrointestinal and skin-related events were the most commonly reported adverse events; these were almost always mild to moderate in severity, and rarely led to treatment discontinuation. Elevations (>3× upper limit of normal) in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) occurred in 21/789 (2.7%) patients; the adjusted incidence of AST/ALT elevations was 1.7 per 100 PEY. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive analysis of safety in a large cohort of IPF patients receiving pirfenidone for a total of 2059 PEY demonstrates that long-term treatment with pirfenidone is safe and generally well tolerated.

A progression-free end-point for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis trials: lessons from cancer.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibroproliferative disease that results in increasing morbidity. To date there is only one licensed therapy for this condition and other agents are needed for this attritional disease. Efforts to study other agents have been obstructed by an increasing division of opinion about the most clinically meaningful end-point of phase III clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy. Many clinicians believe that an agent that impedes progression of the disease is more than acceptable and will encourage the pharmaceutical industry to further develop their IPF programmes. We have been impressed by the behavioural and biological similarities of cancer and IPF, and wondered if lessons could be learned about clinical trial design from lung cancer studies. Here, we set out our arguments that the similarities with cancer justify comparing the magnitude of therapeutic effects in clinical trials in nonsmall cell lung cancer with those in successful trials in IPF. We demonstrate that efficacy is of a similar magnitude in the two chronic lung diseases. We recommend that the demonstration of similar magnitudes of progression-free disease effect in IPF, using appropriate indices, should be considered as clinically meaningful benefit in future phase III clinical trials of novel therapies.

Mapping the future for pulmonary fibrosis: report from the 17th International Colloquium on Lung and Airway Fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis is the ultimate outcome of various interstitial lung diseases, many of which have a dismal prognosis. Pulmonary fibrosis, therefore, represents a critical unmet medical need. Progress in research over the past 30 years has been encouraging. This work, which has been funded by governments, charitable trusts, industries and patient groups, has resulted in clinical trials testing novel drugs, giving hope to patients. In late September 2012, representatives from academia, industry and funding agencies met at the 17th International Colloquium on Airway and Lung Fibrosis to discuss state-of-the-art knowledge of pulmonary fibrosis. This manuscript summarises the outcomes of the meeting, highlighting the most relevant results and discoveries. It also attempts to provide a roadmap for future studies. It is hoped that such a roadmap may help interested parties to generate new research, which will be vital to continued progress. We are encouraged by the commitment expressed by all participants at this meeting and the shared vision of promoting future progress through international collaboration, the pooling of valuable resources, and the involvement of a new generation of physicians and scientists.

Smoking-related emphysema is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and rheumatoid lung.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A combined pulmonary fibrosis/emphysema syndrome has been proposed, but the basis for this syndrome is currently uncertain. The aim was to evaluate the prevalence of emphysema in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and rheumatoid lung (rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD)), and to compare the morphological features of lung fibrosis between smokers and non-smokers. METHODS: Using high-resolution computed tomography, the prevalence of emphysema and the pack-year smoking histories associated with emphysema were compared between current/ex-smokers with IPF (n = 186) or RA-ILD (n = 46), and non-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) controls (n = 103) and COPD controls (n = 34). The coarseness of fibrosis was compared between smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: Emphysema, present in 66/186 (35%) patients with IPF and 22/46 (48%) smokers with RA-ILD, was associated with lower pack-year smoking histories than in control groups (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). The presence of emphysema in IPF was positively linked to the pack-year smoking history (odds ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.06, P < 0.0005). In IPF, fibrosis was coarser in smokers than in non-smokers on univariate and multivariate analysis (P < 0.01 for all comparisons). In RA-ILD, fibrosis was coarser in patients with emphysema but did not differ significantly between smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: In IPF and RA-ILD, a high prevalence of concurrent emphysema, in association with low pack-year smoking histories, and an association between coarser pulmonary fibrosis and a history of smoking in IPF together provide support for possible pathogenetic linkage to smoking in both diseases.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: lung function is a clinically meaningful endpoint for phase III trials.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis causes progressive morbidity and has a worldwide incidence that is increasing. There are a number of promising therapies, one of which has been approved in Europe, parts of Asia, and India, and others that are at various stages of development. Despite this, there continues to be debate about the most appropriate clinical endpoint that should be used in future randomized controlled clinical trials of novel therapies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In a recent Pulmonary Perspective in this journal, the case for the use of a variety of clinical endpoints was analyzed, and the article concluded that FVC, the endpoint most commonly used recently and in ongoing studies, was not an appropriate option. In this Pulmonary Perspective we present a counterpoint in which we explore the basis on which this conclusion is drawn and present data that strongly and logically support the use of FVC as a valid and robust measure that fulfils the criteria for an ideal clinical endpoint and that is meaningful to patient and clinician alike.

An official American Thoracic Society clinical practice guideline: the clinical utility of bronchoalveolar lavage cellular analysis in interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND: The clinical utility of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) cell analysis for the diagnosis and management of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been a subject of debate and controversy. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) sponsored a committee of international experts to examine all relevant literature on BAL in ILD and provide recommendations concerning the use of BAL in the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected ILD. PURPOSE: To provide recommendations for (1) the performance and processing of BAL and (2) the interpretation of BAL nucleated immune cell patterns and other BAL characteristics in patients with suspected ILD. METHODS: A pragmatic systematic review was performed to identify unique citations related to BAL in patients with ILD that were published between 1970 and 2006. The search was updated during the guideline development process to include published literature through March 2011. This is the evidence upon which the committee's conclusions and recommendations are based. RESULTS: Recommendations for the performance and processing of BAL, as well as the interpretation of BAL findings, were formulated by the committee. CONCLUSIONS: When used in conjunction with comprehensive clinical information and adequate thoracic imaging such as high-resolution computed tomography of the thorax, BAL cell patterns and other characteristics frequently provide useful information for the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected ILD.