Design of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis clinical trials in the era of approved therapies

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressivediseasewithamediansurvivalof 3–5 years (1, 2). The approval of nintedanib and pirfenidone by regulatory agencies worldwide has dramatically altered the landscape for testing new drugs for IPF treatment. These drugs slowed the progression of the FVC decline observed in IPF cohorts in phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (3, 4).