Bosentan performs well in IPF study

Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Actelion has announced that data from the Bosentan Use in Interstitial Lung Disease (BUILD) study provides a strong rationale for further evaluation of bosentan (trade anme Tracleer) as a treatment for patients suffering idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The BUILD-1 study, which was a double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter assessment, was designed to evaluate the efficacy of the agent in improving exercise capacity in IPF patients. The results showed that the drug did not have an effect on the six-minute walk test, but did lower the risk of disease progression to 22.5%, in comparison with a 36.1% risk of progression in those patients receiving placebo. In lung biopsy patients, the drug displayed a more pronounced treatment effect, reducing progression risk to 12.2%.