BRISBANE, Calif. — An investigational drug made by InterMune improved breathing in patients with a rare and fatal lung disease, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial published online in The Lancet last week.
InterMune is investigating the drug pirfenidone as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which affects more than 200,000 patients in the European Union and the United States combined. Only 20% of patients with IPF survive after five years.