Repurposing pirfenidone for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis: A case series

Abstract

We repurposed the antifibrotic drug pirfenidone—which is approved for treatment of idiopathic lung fibrosis—in a series of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis. Our report demonstrates the observed improvements in necroinflammation and regression of cirrhosis with pirfeni-done use for 12-weeks, associated with classical hepatic repair complex features on follow-up liver biopsies. This novel work could help stimulate further randomized trials of pirfe-nidone in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, for whom no recommended drug treatments exists currently.