Emerging drugs for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: 2020 phase II clinical trials

INTRODUCTION: The enthusiasm generated by the approval of pirfenidone and nintedanib as the first effective therapies for IPF led the IPF scientific community to investigate an increasing number of novel agents in well-designed randomized controlled trials, in the hope to find a cure for these patients. AREAS COVERED: This reviews the evidence from IPF phase II trials that were completed or started in 2020. Literature search was performed using Medline and Clinicaltrials.org databases. EXPERT OPINION: Randomized clinical trials revolutionized the management of IPF, leading to the discovery of the first therapies capable of slowing down functional deterioration in these patients. The recently published findings of the first successful phase II trials since pirfenidone and nintedanib will hopefully inaugurate a new era in the therapeutic scenario of IPF, where consolidated treatments of proven efficacy and novel targeted agents contribute together to reach the final goal of halting the fibrotic process of this dreadful disease.