Pirfenidone to Treat Kidney Disease (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis)

Summary

This study will examine the effectiveness of the drug pirfenidone in treating focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Patients with this disease have kidney fibrosis (scarring) and proteinuria (excessive excretion of protein in the urine). About half of patients with FSGS eventually require kidney dialysis or transplant. Steroids, which are currently used to treat the disease, are effective in only a minority of patients. Other drugs, such as cyclosporin and cyclophosphamide, improve proteinuria in a very small percentage of patients and have serious side effects. Patients with FSGS who wish to participate in this study will undergo pre-study evaluation with blood and urine tests. Patients must be on a stable dose of an ACE inhibitor (a drug that lowers blood pressure and reduces proteinuria) for at list 6 months before starting pirfenidone therapy. (Patients who are not already taking an ACE inhibitor will be started on the drug; those who cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors will be given a different drug.) Patients with elevated cholesterol will take a cholesterol-lowering drug. A diet containing approximately 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day will be recommended. Patients will take pirfenidone by mouth 3 times a day for 12 months. Blood and urine will be tested once a month, either at NIH or by the patient's local kidney specialist. They will collect two 24-hour urine samples at the beginning of the treatment period, at 2-month intervals throughout the study, and at a 6-month follow-up. Patients will also be asked to give three to five tubes of blood and urine samples for analysis during the study. In animal studies, pirfenidone improved kidney function and proteinuria and reduced kidney scarring in rats with a disease similar to FSGS. In human studies, pirfenidone improved breathing and survival in patients with lung fibrosis.

Timeline

Start

1999-12

Primary completion

2008-10

Completion

2008-10

Publications

• Background Abbate M, Zoja C, Rottoli D, Corna D, Perico N, Bertani T, Remuzzi G. Antiproteinuric therapy while preventing the abnormal protein traffic in proximal tubule abrogates protein- and complement-dependent interstitial inflammation in experimental renal disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 1999 Apr;10(4):804-13. doi: 10.1681/ASN.V104804.
• Background Bodi I, Kimmel PL, Abraham AA, Svetkey LP, Klotman PE, Kopp JB. Renal TGF-beta in HIV-associated kidney diseases. Kidney Int. 1997 May;51(5):1568-77. doi: 10.1038/ki.1997.215.
• Background Border WA, Noble NA. Transforming growth factor beta in tissue fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 1994 Nov 10;331(19):1286-92. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199411103311907. No abstract available.

Drugs

Indications