The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday the approval of two new drugs that help to delay the development of a fatal lung disease.
The drugs, Esbriet developed by Roche and Ofev of Boehringer Ingelheim, were made as first treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a severe lung disease that usually affects middle-aged and older people characterized by scarring in the lungs.
When the lung tissue thickens due to scar tissues or fibrosis, the lungs are unable to supply oxygen properly to the blood, thus preventing the brain and other organs from getting the right amount of oxygen. To date, there is no treatment yet, and almost half of the patients die within three to five years after diagnosis.
It is uncertain if the drugs could actually delay the progression of the fatal lung disease. There are no comparisons on the two drugs yet, but doctors believe that they could be equally effective. During the early part of the study, only 17 percent of those who took Esbriet died or had decreased lung function in a year. The number is lower compared to 32 percent of the placebo group.
"People are not getting better, they are getting worse less quickly," Gary M. Hunninghake, a lung-disease specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said to the Wall Street Journal. "The idea we can even do anything to improve the lives of patients is a very big deal."
Boehringer's Ofev pricing will be revealed within 10 days, while Roche's Esbriet will cost around $7,800 a month, according to the New York Times. A spokesman for Roche said that the pricing was based on the drug's efficacy and the cost of other medicines in the market.
Both drugs were approved ahead of the deadline, which was Nov. 23 for Esbriet and Jan. 2 for Ofrev.
