Pirfenidone
Pirfenidone is an antifibrotic tablet used in adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (lung scarring); PockDose sells Esbriet in 200mg and 400mg tablets.
What pirfenidone does in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which scar tissue builds up in the lungs and the walls around the air sacs thicken, so breathing gets harder over time. Pirfenidone is used to treat IPF in adults. It acts on the chemical signals that drive that scarring, and the aim of treatment is to slow the fall in lung function — measured as forced vital capacity, the amount of air you can push out in one breath — rather than to undo damage already done.
Getting used to the dose
Pirfenidone is not started at full strength. Treatment usually begins with a low dose three times a day and is stepped up over about a fortnight to the full daily amount, split across three doses. Those first weeks are the fiddliest part: nausea, dizziness and a little indigestion are common while the body adjusts, and taking each tablet with food is the simplest way to soften them. Most people end up anchoring the three doses to meals, because a routine is easier to hold on to than a clock-watching schedule.
Side effects worth knowing about
Nausea, indigestion, diarrhoea, headache, tiredness and a drop in appetite turn up often in the first weeks. Sun sensitivity is the other one to expect — skin that reddens or burns more easily than before, sometimes with a rash. Liver trouble is uncommon but serious: yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or pain in the upper abdomen are signs that need prompt attention. Severe skin reactions have also been reported, so a rash that blisters or peels is not something to sit on.
Sun, smoking and other medicines
Covering up matters more than usual while taking pirfenidone: long sleeves, a hat, sunscreen on exposed skin and no sunbeds. Skin reactions are the effect most likely to make people stop. Smoking changes the picture too, because it makes the body clear the drug faster, so smokers tend to carry less of it, and quitting can push the level the other way. Some medicines slow that clearance as well, among them fluvoxamine and ciprofloxacin.
Esbriet tablets: what you can order here
Esbriet is the pirfenidone product PockDose sells, as film-coated tablets in 200mg and 400mg. Both strengths are swallowed and both belong to the same stepped schedule, so the strength you pick depends on the daily amount you are working up to — smaller tablets for the early steps, larger ones once the full daily dose is reached. Pirfenidone sits alongside other asthma and respiratory medicines on the shop.
Sources
- Pirfenidone 267 mg Film-coated Tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc) | 13845 — UK Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)
- Pirfenidone | Drugs | BNF | NICE — NICE / BNF
Where can I buy Pirfenidone in Hong Kong?
Pirfenidone can be bought from PockDose with delivery to Hong Kong. The page lists generic Esbriet tablets in 200mg and 400mg. Every order ships in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about the contents.
What is the price of Pirfenidone?
Esbriet is priced per pack: its page lists every strength and pack size with the current price in HKD or your chosen currency.
Do I need a prescription to order Pirfenidone?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order pirfenidone. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What is another name for pirfenidone?
Esbriet is a brand name of pirfenidone, which is also sold as Pirfenex. Here, pirfenidone can be bought online as generic Esbriet. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Esbriet the same as pirfenidone?
Esbriet is a brand name for pirfenidone, so both names mean the same active ingredient. PockDose sells Esbriet as film-coated tablets in 200mg and 400mg, both taken by mouth. Two strengths exist because the daily total is reached in steps rather than started all at once.
How long does pirfenidone take to work?
It is not a medicine that gives a noticeable change from one day to the next. Pirfenidone works by slowing the decline in lung function, and that shows up over months on breathing tests such as forced vital capacity rather than as a difference you would feel in your breathing.
Does pirfenidone cause weight loss?
Loss of appetite and weight loss are recognised effects, and they are most likely while the dose is being stepped up. Nausea often comes with them. Taking each tablet with food helps, and weight is one of the things worth keeping an eye on during treatment.
Can I smoke while taking pirfenidone?
Smoking speeds up the way the body clears pirfenidone, so people who smoke tend to have less of the medicine in their system than non-smokers on the same dose. A sudden change — quitting, or smoking a lot more — shifts that balance, which is why steady habits are easier to dose around.