Important Data Presented on Independent Predictors of Mortality in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonar...( - Change in Forced Vital Capacity is ...),Health

- Change in Forced Vital Capacity is among strongest predictors of one-year mortality -

SAN DIEGO, May 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today reported that results of a study assessing the relationship between various measures of clinical status and the risk of death in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) were presented at the 2009 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in San Diego.

The study demonstrated that change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) over the preceding 6 months was among the strongest independent predictors of one-year mortality. Researchers found that a decline in percent predicted FVC as small as 5% over 6 months was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of death over the subsequent 12 months compared with patients who experienced a smaller or no decline over the same period. Additional predictors of one-year mortality included age, baseline percent predicted diffusing capacity (DLCO), baseline FVC, history of respiratory hospitalization, dyspnea score (as measured by the University of California at San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire) and 24-week change in patient-reported respiratory symptoms, as measured by the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire.

The results were presented by Dr. Roland M. du Bois, Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado. According to Dr. du Bois, "Previously, only changes of forced vital capacity of 10% or more had been considered to be of sufficiently robust magnitude to be clinically meaningful. What this study has shown convincingly is that smaller changes may predict an adverse outcome. This clearly has important implications for disease management."

Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of
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