Unexpected COPD relief: Lung fibrosis drug outperforms steroids in pre-clinical model (Pirfenidone)

Medical Xpress / Hudson Inst of Med Res / Am Jrnl of Resp Cell and Mol Bio / The Lancet Resp Med ^ | Aug. 12, 2025 | Rob Clancy / Belinda J Thomas et al / Philip G Bardin et al

[ConservativeMind]

Researchers have found a promising treatment breakthrough for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that avoids many of the drawbacks of current drugs, and it has come from an unexpected place.

Now studies have found that a drug commonly used to treat lung fibrosis could also be ideal for overcoming key problems associated with current treatments for COPD.

Dr. Belinda Thomas said the current standard of care for COPD usually includes steroids, drugs which are good at reducing inflammation. However, sudden attacks of COPD (called exacerbations) are usually caused by viruses and steroids encourage their replication, making things worse.

Steroids can fix one problem (inflammation)—but cause another.

The team at Hudson Institute of Medical Research used a laboratory pre-clinical model that mimics COPD to test the drug Pirfenidone and the results were promising.

"Compared to steroids, Pirfenidone reduced disease severity, lowering both virus replication and airway inflammation, without reducing the immune response, which is what the steroids do," Dr. Thomas said.

"Steroids are really packed with adverse effects but there's been nothing to replace them until now and we believe Pirfenidone is an exciting option."

"The great benefit if this treatment is translated into the clinic is that people could come off steroids," he said. "Detrimental effects of steroids build up over time, so that by the age of 60, many people start having severe side effects such as cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, skin problems and osteoporosis."

Pirfenidone is registered for use in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Australia and worldwide.

"We have a robust pre-clinical model showing that it works and there is likely to be a lot of interest in repurposing Pirfenidone in COPD." Dr. Thomas said.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
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[ConservativeMind]

Pirfenidone Is available today and appears to cost as little as $360 for a month’s supply.

It appears this would be taken for acute occasions in which COPD is brought on by infections, but is useful for chronic COPD caused by other sources, as well.

It does not have side effects anything like steroids do, it appears.

[ConservativeMind]

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[rktman]

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[cuz1961]

Thank you

[ConservativeMind]

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