Current and Future Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Therapy

The last years have led to advances in the therapeutic management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), mainly through the discovery of new pathological pathways and drugs and better design of clinical trials. The objective of this review is both to describe the current therapies approved for the treatment of IPF and the emerging therapeutic approaches. Currently, nintedanib and pirfenidone are the basis of IPF therapy, based on the results of large randomized clinical trials showing their safety and efficacy in reducing disease progression. Nonetheless, the ideal IPF therapy is still lacking and trials are underway to test new therapeutic targets. The near future could bring to clinicians and patients a combined therapeutic strategy, hitting the disease from several simultaneous pathways and hopefully leading to clinical stabilization or improvement.