MedicalResearch.com interviews Pierre Laurin, CEO of Prometic Life Sciences, about his phase-2 study to determine whether treatment with PBI-4050 alters the level of key biomarkers in patients with IPF.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly explain what is meant by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

Response: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, devastating, and ultimately fatal disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function. It is a specific type of interstitial lung disease in which the small air sacs of the lung, the “alveoli,” gradually become replaced by fibrotic (scar) tissue and is the cause of worsening dyspnea (shortness of breath). The 5-year mortality rate for patients with IPF is estimated to range from 50% to 70%.

Small molecule candidate PBI-4050’s anti-fibrotic activity has been observed in various fibrosis models in different organs: lung, kidney, heart, liver, and pancreas. PBI-4050 has been shown to improve forced vital capacity (FVC) in an open-label Phase 2 study in IPF.