Pirfenidone for the Treatment of Patients with IPF

InterMune, Inc. today announced that it has submitted an electronic New Drug Application(NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market pirfenidone for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pirfenidone has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the FDA, and also has been granted Orphan Drug status in Europe.

"IPF is a rapidly and uniformly fatal disease. Sadly, there are no medicines approved for the approximately 100,000 Americans who suffer from this terrible disease," said Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune. "InterMune has dedicated almost ten years to the development of new medicines for patients with IPF. We are very proud to have submitted the first NDA ever submitted to the FDA for a medicine to treat IPF patients."

About Pirfenidone

Preclinical and in-vitro evidence had shown that pirfenidone has both anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects. Results from three adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 studies have shown evidence of a treatment effect in IPF patients and the compound has been safe and generally well tolerated, with side effects including photosensitivity rash and gastrointestinal symptoms.

InterMune licensed pirfenidone from Marnac, Inc. and its co-licensor, KDL GmbH, in 2002 and in 2007 purchased from Marnac and KDL the rights to sell the compound in the United States, Europe and other territories except in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea where rights to the molecule were licensed by Marnac and KDL to Shionogi & Co. Ltd. of Japan. In October of 2008, pirfenidone was approved for use in IPF patients in Japan and is marketed as Pirespa® by
Shionogi in that country.

About IPF

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disabling and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately 200,000 patients in the United States and Europe combined, with approximately 30,000 new cases reported per year in each of the United States and Europe.

IPF is characterized by inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) in the lungs, hindering the ability to process oxygen and causing shortness of breath (dyspnea) and cough and is a progressive disease, meaning that over time, lung scarring and symptoms increase in severity. The median survival time from diagnosis is two to five years, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 20%. Patients diagnosed with IPF are usually between the ages of 40 and 70, with a median age of 63 years and the disease tends to affect slightly more men than women. There are no medicines approved in the United States or Europe for IPF.

About InterMune

InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and hepatology. InterMune has an R&D portfolio addressing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The pulmonology portfolio includes pirfenidone for which InterMune has completed a Phase 3 program in patients with IPF (CAPACITY) and has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA. The hepatology portfolio includes the HCV protease inhibitor compound RG7227 (ITMN-191) that entered Phase 2b in August of 2009 and a second-generation HCV protease inhibitor research program.