Esbriet® (Pirfenidone)
About Esbriet
Esbriet® (pirfenidone) is a prescription medicine used to treat people with a lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
It is not known if Esbriet is safe and effective in children.
Before you take Esbriet, tell your doctor if you:
- have other medical conditions (particularly liver or kidney problems).
- are a smoker.
- are or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed (Esbriet has not been studied in these patients).
- are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.
What are the possible side effects of Esbriet?
Esbriet may cause serious side effects, including:
- liver problems. Call your doctor if you have symptoms such as yellowing of your skin or eyes, dark or brown urine, pain on the upper right side of your stomach area, bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, or increased fatigue. Your doctor will also do regular blood tests to check your liver.
- sun sensitivity and rash. When you are outside, use sunscreen (SPF 50) and wear a hat and clothes that cover your skin to avoid getting a sunburn.
- stomach problems. Esbriet may cause stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, and stomach pain.
Your doctor may change your dose or discontinue Esbriet if side effects do not go away.
The most common side effects of Esbriet include upper respiratory tract infections, feeling tired, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, sinusitis, insomnia, or weight loss.
These are not all the possible side effects of Esbriet.
What should you avoid while taking Esbriet?
- Direct exposure to sunlight, or light from sunlamps and tanning beds.
- Other medicines that can make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
- Smoking, which may affect how well Esbriet works.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch or to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for additional important safety information.
About Esbriet
Esbriet® (pirfenidone) is a prescription medicine used to treat people with a lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
It is not known if Esbriet is safe and effective in children.
Preserving Your Lung Function is Essential and Esbriet May Help
Esbriet® (pirfenidone) may help preserve more of your lung function by slowing disease progression
Although lung function that is lost cannot be restored, treatment may help maintain more of your lung function by slowing the progression of the disease.
- In a 1-year clinical study, people who took Esbriet had better breathing capacity compared to those who did not take Esbriet (193 mL difference in forced vital capacity)
- More than twice as many people who took Esbriet had stable lung function (23%) compared to those who did not take Esbriet (10%) at 1 year
- One 72-week study showed similar results
- Another 72-week study did not show a significant difference between people who took Esbriet and people who did not
Why Should I Consider Treatment?
- IPF is progressive. This means that the scarring caused by IPF will continue to happen, and lung function will continue to get worse
- IPF is unpredictable. It is difficult to know how slowly or quickly IPF will progress. Each person’s experience is different
- IPF is irreversible. Once there is scarring in the lungs, it cannot be reversed. Today, there is no cure for IPF, but there are treatment options that may slow its progression
Key facts about Esbriet
- Esbriet was FDA approved based on 3 clinical studies that evaluated its safety and how well it worked
- Esbriet is proven to help preserve lung function for some people with IPF
- Esbriet may cause serious side effects
- Esbriet has been used in more than 42,000 patients worldwide
Important things to keep in mind with IPF treatment
- IPF is progressive, so slowing its decline can be an important goal of treatment
- Starting and staying on Esbriet treatment as prescribed by your doctor can be an important way to help preserve more of the lung function you have today by slowing disease progression
- Once you begin taking Esbriet, you may not “feel” different, because Esbriet does not treat the symptoms of IPF and does not reverse the scarring in your lungs
- IPF worsens at different rates in different people. With or without Esbriet, lung function may continue to decline. Remember, the goal is to slow the decline. Your doctor will conduct lung function tests to measure how IPF is affecting your lungs over time.
Taking the Medication
Starting Esbriet
- Before you start Esbriet, your doctor should do certain blood tests to check how your liver is working
- When you start Esbriet, your doctor will slowly increase the dose over 2 weeks. This continues until you reach the full daily dose. This will allow your body time to get used to the medicine. (Increasing or decreasing the dose is called titration)
- Your doctor may adjust your dose to help alleviate side effects. It is always important to follow your doctor’s instructions
- Follow the dosing schedule your doctor gave you. The table below shows the recommended Esbriet dosing schedule for the 267 mg capsules or tablets.
- The recommended full daily dose of Esbriet is 3 pills (267 mg each, yellow tablets or white capsules) taken 3 times every day with food
- There is another dosing option with fewer pills per day. To learn more, see the section below
- Doses should be taken at the same times each day with food: in the morning, afternoon, and evening
- If you miss a dose of Esbriet, take it with food as soon as you remember
- Do not take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose
- Do not take more than 3 doses in a day
- If you take too much Esbriet, call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away
- If you experience side effects, talk with your healthcare provider, who may need to reduce your dose or ask you to stop taking Esbriet for a short time to help reduce side effects
You should always take Esbriet with food. Doing so may help reduce certain side effects including dizziness or nausea. Taking Esbriet with food decreases how quickly Esbriet is absorbed. It also decreases the drug level of Esbriet in the blood.
An Option with Fewer Pills per Day
After you are doing well with the 9 pills (267 mg each, yellow tablets or white capsules) of Esbriet a day, you and your doctor may want to talk about moving to a 3 tablet per day option.
- Each brown tablet has the same amount of medicine as 3 of the 267 mg pills
- 1 brown tablet is taken 3 times a day with food
- After you are doing well on the 9 pills per day, talk with your doctor about whether the 1 brown tablet, 3 times a day, is right for you.
Once you are doing well on 9 pills a day, ask your doctor if transitioning to 3 brown tablets is an option for you.
If you have questions about your Esbriet dose, talk to your doctor.
SELECT IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION
About Esbriet
Esbriet® (pirfenidone) is a prescription medicine used to treat people with a lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
It is not known if Esbriet is safe and effective in children.
Before you take Esbriet, tell your doctor if you:
- have other medical conditions (particularly liver or kidney problems).
- are a smoker.
- are or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed (Esbriet has not been studied in these patients).
- are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.
What are the possible side effects of Esbriet?
Esbriet may cause serious side effects, including:
- liver problems. Call your doctor if you have symptoms such as yellowing of your skin or eyes, dark or brown urine, pain on the upper right side of your stomach area, bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, or increased fatigue. Your doctor will also do regular blood tests to check your liver.
- sun sensitivity and rash. When you are outside, use sunscreen (SPF 50) and wear a hat and clothes that cover your skin to avoid getting a sunburn.
- stomach problems. Esbriet may cause stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, and stomach pain.
Your doctor may change your dose or discontinue Esbriet if side effects do not go away.
The most common side effects of Esbriet include upper respiratory tract infections, feeling tired, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, sinusitis, insomnia, or weight loss.
These are not all the possible side effects of Esbriet.
What should you avoid while taking Esbriet?
- Direct exposure to sunlight, or light from sunlamps and tanning beds.
- Other medicines that can make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
- Smoking, which may affect how well Esbriet works.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch or to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for additional important safety information.
Esbriet Side Effect Management
To see the full list of side effects found in clinical studies, click here.
Potential Serious Side Effects
Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these serious side effects:
- Liver problems
- your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow
- you have dark or brown (tea-colored) urine
- you feel pain in the upper right side of your stomach area
- you bleed or bruise more easily than normal
- you feel tired
Your doctor will do blood tests to check how your liver is working during your treatment with Esbriet.
- Sensitivity to sunlight and skin rash:
Esbriet can cause your skin to sunburn more easily - Stomach problems:
Esbriet may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, and stomach pain
Common Side Effects
In clinical studies, side effects that occurred in 10% or more of people treated with Esbriet included:
- Nausea
- Rash
- Stomach pain
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Indigestion
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Decreased or loss of appetite
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Sinusitis
- Sleeplessness
- Weight loss
- Joint pain
Tell your doctor immediately if you have any side effects while you are taking Esbriet. He or she may need to reduce your dose of Esbriet or ask you to stop taking it for a short time to help manage side effects.
- If you stop taking Esbriet for 14 or more days to help manage side effects
- You will need to restart treatment with a low dose
- Then slowly increase to the maximum dose
- Your doctor may also ask you to permanently stop taking Esbriet
Managing certain side effects
Some side effects may decrease.
In clinical studies of Esbriet, some side effects occurred soon after starting treatment and/or decreased over time:
What should you avoid while taking Esbriet?
- Direct exposure to sunlight, or light from sunlamps and tanning beds.
- Other medicines that can make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
- Smoking, which may affect how well Esbriet works.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch or to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for additional important safety information.
Financial Support
Learn more about financial support options here.
Genentech Access Solutions can:
-Help you understand your health insurance coverage by finding out:
- If your health insurance covers your Genentech medicine
- How much your co-pay will be for your medicine
-Refer you to appropriate financial assistance options:
- Genentech co-pay programs
- Independent co-pay assistance foundations
- Genentech Patient Foundation
Patient Support
Sign up for expert advice and comprehensive support
The Esbriet® Inspiration Program™ is a free resource designed to help you as you start and continue on your treatment journey.
This includes one-on-one educational sessions free of charge with a Clinical Coordinator about your treatment and financial assistance options and information and advice on living with IPF and taking Esbriet.
*Genentech’s Clinical Coordinators do not provide medical advice. If you have questions about your health or treatment, you are encouraged to contact your healthcare provider.
Resources
Download helpful resources here.
Recipe Cards
These recipe cards are made to be quick and easy meal options you can cook. They can be a good starting point when thinking of a meal plan to have during your Esbriet treatment. Talk to your doctor about the kind of meals and diet that are right for you.
Tracking Your Journey Journal
The journal is designed to help you and your doctor keep track of your treatment with Esbriet. There are places to write down activities and life events.

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