@article{3126535,
    title = "Longitudinal "real-world" outcomes of pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Greece",
    author = "Tzouvelekis, A. and Karampitsakos, T. and Ntolios, P. and Tzilas, V. and Bouros, E. and Markozannes, E. and Malliou, I. and Anagnostopoulos, A. and Granitsas, A. and Steiropoulos, P. and Dimakou, K. and Chrysikos, S. and Koulouris, N. and Bouros, D.",
    journal = "Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine",
    year = "2017",
    volume = "4",
    number = "NOV",
    pages = "1-1",
    publisher = "Frontiers Media S.A",
    doi = "10.3389/fmed.2017.00213/full",
    abstract = "Background: Pirfenidone is an antifibrotic compound able to slow down disease progression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone in patients with IPF in a real-life setting. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, real-life, observational study for patients with IPF receiving pirfenidone. Results: We identified 92 patients with IPF receiving pirfenidone. Eighty patients (70 males and 10 females, mean age ± SD: 68.1 + 7.5, mean %FVC ± SD = 74.9 ± 17.2, mean %DL CO ± SD = 48.1 ± 16.9) were included in the analysis. Skin-related (25%) and gastrointestinal (17.5%) adverse events were the most common and led to drug discontinuation in 22.5% of cases. The majority (87%) of patients experienced side effects during the first 6 months of treatment. At 36 months, changes in %FVC and %DL CO were -9.25 ± 16.34 and -9.26 ± 15.26, respectively. At 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment initiation (n = 80, 60, and 26), 18, 15, and 5 patients (22.5, 25, and 19.2%) experienced significant (>10%) and 11, 3, and 3 patients (13.8, 5, and 11.5%) experienced marginal (5-10%) %FVC improvement; and 13, 6, and 1 patient (16.2, 10, and 3.9%) experienced marginal (-5 to -10%) and 20, 21, and 8 patients (25, 35, and 30.8%) experienced significant decline (<-10%) in %FVCpred. Median survival was 851 days, and 41 patients died during the study period. Conclusion: Pirfenidone demonstrated an acceptable safety and therapeutic profile in patients with IPF on a longitudinal basis. Prospective observational registries are urgently needed to provide a real-world view of outcomes of pirfenidone in clinical practice. © 2017 Tzouvelekis, Karampitsakos, Ntolios, Tzilas, Bouros, Markozannes, Malliou, Anagnostopoulos, Granitsas, Steiropoulos, Dimakou, Chrysikos, Koulouris and Bouros."
}