Pirfenidone for Restrictive Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction

Summary

Despite advances in lung transplantation, the median survival remains only 55% at 5 years. The main limitation to long term survival is the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. In approximately 30% of cases, chronic lung allograft dysfunction has a restrictive phenotype (RCLAD) characterized by fibrosis with rapid progression to respiratory failure. Approximately 60% of patients with RCLAD die within one year, as currently there are no therapies available. RCLAD, like Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), is characterized by fibroblast proliferation, extracellular matrix deposition, and architectural distortion leading to progressive lung scarring and death. Given their similarities, there is keen interest in the international transplant community to investigate whether the anti-fibrotic drug pirfenidone can slow the progression of RCLAD as it does of IPF. Pirfenidone has been proved to be safe and effective in patients with IPF, and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This protocol will evaluate the safety and tolerability of pirfenidone in lung transplant recipients with RCLAD. Transplant recipients take carefully adjusted immunosuppressive medications for life to prevent rejection of the allograft. Current literature suggests the dose of tacrolimus, the main anti-rejection drug, may need to be adjusted when taken in combination with pirfenidone. The investigators will assess the side effects of pirfenidone in combination with the immunosuppressive regimen and determine the magnitude of the adjustment in tacrolimus dose. The results of this pilot study will provide the foundation for a multicenter randomized control trial to evaluate the efficacy of pirfenidone in slowing the progression of RCLAD.

Timeline

Start

2018-03-07

Primary completion

2021-10-28

Completion

2021-10-28

Publications

• Background Valapour M, Skeans MA, Smith JM, Edwards LB, Cherikh WS, Callahan ER, Israni AK, Snyder JJ, Kasiske BL. Lung. Am J Transplant. 2016 Jan;16 Suppl 2:141-68. doi: 10.1111/ajt.13671.
• Background Verleden GM, Raghu G, Meyer KC, Glanville AR, Corris P. A new classification system for chronic lung allograft dysfunction. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2014 Feb;33(2):127-33. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2013.10.022. Epub 2013 Oct 24.
• Background Saito T, Horie M, Sato M, Nakajima D, Shoushtarizadeh H, Binnie M, Azad S, Hwang DM, Machuca TN, Waddell TK, Singer LG, Cypel M, Liu M, Paul NS, Keshavjee S. Low-dose computed tomography volumetry for subtyping chronic lung allograft dysfunction. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2016 Jan;35(1):59-66. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2015.07.005. Epub 2015 Aug 13.
• Background Pakhale SS, Hadjiliadis D, Howell DN, Palmer SM, Gutierrez C, Waddell TK, Chaparro C, Davis RD, Keshavjee S, Hutcheon MA, Singer LG. Upper lobe fibrosis: a novel manifestation of chronic allograft dysfunction in lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2005 Sep;24(9):1260-8. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2004.08.026.
• Background Ofek E, Sato M, Saito T, Wagnetz U, Roberts HC, Chaparro C, Waddell TK, Singer LG, Hutcheon MA, Keshavjee S, Hwang DM. Restrictive allograft syndrome post lung transplantation is characterized by pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. Mod Pathol. 2013 Mar;26(3):350-6. doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2012.171. Epub 2012 Sep 28.
• Background Sato M, Hwang DM, Waddell TK, Singer LG, Keshavjee S. Progression pattern of restrictive allograft syndrome after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2013 Jan;32(1):23-30. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2012.09.026.
• Background Sato M, Waddell TK, Wagnetz U, Roberts HC, Hwang DM, Haroon A, Wagnetz D, Chaparro C, Singer LG, Hutcheon MA, Keshavjee S. Restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS): a novel form of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2011 Jul;30(7):735-42. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2011.01.712. Epub 2011 Mar 17.
• Background Todd JL, Jain R, Pavlisko EN, Finlen Copeland CA, Reynolds JM, Snyder LD, Palmer SM. Impact of forced vital capacity loss on survival after the onset of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014 Jan 15;189(2):159-66. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201306-1155OC.
• Background Verleden SE, de Jong PA, Ruttens D, Vandermeulen E, van Raemdonck DE, Verschakelen J, Vanaudenaerde BM, Verleden GM, Vos R. Functional and computed tomographic evolution and survival of restrictive allograft syndrome after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2014 Mar;33(3):270-7. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2013.12.011. Epub 2013 Dec 17.
• Background Verleden GM, Vos R, Verleden SE, De Wever W, De Vleeschauwer SI, Willems-Widyastuti A, Scheers H, Dupont LJ, Van Raemdonck DE, Vanaudenaerde BM. Survival determinants in lung transplant patients with chronic allograft dysfunction. Transplantation. 2011 Sep 27;92(6):703-8. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e31822bf790.
• Background Woodrow JP, Shlobin OA, Barnett SD, Burton N, Nathan SD. Comparison of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome to other forms of chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2010 Oct;29(10):1159-64. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2010.05.012. Epub 2010 Jun 26.
• Background Verleden SE, Ruttens D, Vandermeulen E, Bellon H, Dubbeldam A, De Wever W, Dupont LJ, Van Raemdonck DE, Vanaudenaerde BM, Verleden GM, Benden C, Vos R. Predictors of survival in restrictive chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2016 Sep;35(9):1078-84. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2016.03.022. Epub 2016 Apr 16.
• Background Verleden SE, Todd JL, Sato M, Palmer SM, Martinu T, Pavlisko EN, Vos R, Neyrinck A, Van Raemdonck D, Saito T, Oishi H, Keshavjee S, Greer M, Warnecke G, Gottlieb J, Haverich A. Impact of CLAD Phenotype on Survival After Lung Retransplantation: A Multicenter Study. Am J Transplant. 2015 Aug;15(8):2223-30. doi: 10.1111/ajt.13281. Epub 2015 Apr 30.
• Background Fernandez IE, Heinzelmann K, Verleden S, Eickelberg O. Characteristic patterns in the fibrotic lung. Comparing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2015 Mar;12 Suppl 1:S34-41. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201410-476MG.
• Background Alder JK, Chen JJ, Lancaster L, Danoff S, Su SC, Cogan JD, Vulto I, Xie M, Qi X, Tuder RM, Phillips JA 3rd, Lansdorp PM, Loyd JE, Armanios MY. Short telomeres are a risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 2;105(35):13051-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804280105. Epub 2008 Aug 27.
• Background Vos R, Verleden SE, Ruttens D, Vandermeulen E, Yserbyt J, Dupont LJ, Van Raemdonck DE, De Raedt N, Gheysens O, De Jong PA, Verleden GM, Vanaudenaerde BM. Pirfenidone: a potential new therapy for restrictive allograft syndrome? Am J Transplant. 2013 Nov;13(11):3035-40. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12474. Epub 2013 Sep 18.
• Background Suhling H, Bollmann B, Gottlieb J. Nintedanib in restrictive chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2016 Jul;35(7):939-40. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2016.01.1220. Epub 2016 Feb 9. No abstract available.
• Background Lancaster L, Albera C, Bradford WZ, Costabel U, du Bois RM, Fagan EA, Fishman RS, Glaspole I, Glassberg MK, King TE Jr, Lederer DJ, Lin Z, Nathan SD, Pereira CA, Swigris JJ, Valeyre D, Noble PW. Safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: integrated analysis of cumulative data from 5 clinical trials. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2016 Jan 12;3(1):e000105. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2015-000105. eCollection 2016.
• Background Khanna D, Albera C, Fischer A, Khalidi N, Raghu G, Chung L, Chen D, Schiopu E, Tagliaferri M, Seibold JR, Gorina E. An Open-label, Phase II Study of the Safety and Tolerability of Pirfenidone in Patients with Scleroderma-associated Interstitial Lung Disease: the LOTUSS Trial. J Rheumatol. 2016 Sep;43(9):1672-9. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.151322. Epub 2016 Jul 1.
• Background King TE Jr, Bradford WZ, Castro-Bernardini S, Fagan EA, Glaspole I, Glassberg MK, Gorina E, Hopkins PM, Kardatzke D, Lancaster L, Lederer DJ, Nathan SD, Pereira CA, Sahn SA, Sussman R, Swigris JJ, Noble PW; ASCEND Study Group. A phase 3 trial of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 29;370(22):2083-92. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1402582. Epub 2014 May 18.

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