InterMune® supports launch of first ever European Patient Charter on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) in European Parliament

Muttenz, Switzerland (ots) - InterMune® is pleased to support the
launch of a new European Patient Charter for people with idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis which is being presented in the European
Parliament on 30th September, during IPF World Week 2014.

The Charter, which has been developed by 11 patient organisations*
and healthcare professionals from 9 EU countries advocating the
well-being of people living with IPF, calls for more standardised
care and equal access to diagnosis and treatment for patients with
IPF in Europe. The initiative aims to reach 35,000 signatures via an
online public petition, equal to the number of people in Europe who
are newly diagnosed with IPF each year.(1),(2),(3),(4)

Following a series of meetings with advocacy groups and healthcare
professionals, the Charter was compiled based on a consensus on the
key priorities for IPF patients. It includes recommendations on equal
access to treatment and diagnosis as well as the importance of
holistic management of the condition and improvements in palliative
care.

The intention is that the Charter is presented in the European
Parliament to raise awareness of these issues and to bring them to
the attention of European policy makers. It will also be used to
engage key stakeholders in the EU countries to help drive change and
improve the lives of people with the condition.

IPF is an irreversible, progressive and ultimately fatal fibrotic
interstitial lung disease(5),(6),(7) IPF has a projected survival
rate of only 20-40% after 5 years(8),(9) making it more rapidly
lethal than many types of cancer.(10) The disease causes scarring of
the lungs, irreversibly destroying normal lung architecture and
hindering a person's ability to breathe.(11)

Rosalba Mele, President of the Italian Association "AMA Fuori dal
Buio" in Modena, Italy - one of the 11 patient organisations
promoting the initiative, said: "The development of the Charter
represents the greatest joint effort that was ever realised by the
IPF community in Europe. For the first time patient organisations
from across Europe spoke with a unified voice to shed light on the
needs of IPF patients. This would not have happened without the
support of InterMune® which has supported us and provided the
opportunity for patient groups across Europe to come together, share
their challenges and develop this Charter which we hope will support
the need for change in the management of IPF and give a better future
to patients living with IPF."

Giacomo di Nepi, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of
InterMune® in Europe, stated: "We are proud to play our part in
supporting the Charter initiative, which will be essential for
improving care and access to healthcare services across Europe. The
development of a Charter provides clinicians, patient advocacy groups
and patients the opportunity of working together to identify the key
concerns that can and must be addressed by policy makers."

InterMune® is proud to support European patient associations in
their commitment to develop an IPF Charter that will benefit IPF
patients. InterMune® has contributed financially to the organisation
of two meetings, media support and the launch in the EU parliament.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible and
ultimately fatal disease characterized by progressive loss of lung
function due to fibrosis (scarring) in the lungs, which hinders the
ability of the lungs to absorb oxygen.(5),(6),(7) IPF inevitably
causes shortness of breath, lung function deterioration and decreased
exercise tolerance.(5),(9),(12),(13) IPF patients follow different
and unpredictable clinical courses and it is not possible to predict
if a patient will progress slowly or rapidly, or when the rate of
decline may change.(12),(13) Periods of transient clinical stability
in IPF, when they occur, inevitably give way to continued disease
progression.(6) Without treatment, the median survival time from
diagnosis is 2-5 years, (5),(9),(12),(13) with a five-year survival
rate of approximately 20-40 percent8,9 which makes IPF more rapidly
lethal than many malignancies, including breast, ovarian and
colorectal cancers.(10) IPF typically occurs in patients over the age
of 45(14) and tends to affect slightly more men than women.(6),(14)

About InterMune®

InterMune® is a biotechnology company focused on the research,
development and commercialization of innovative therapies in
pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, InterMune®
is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease. Pirfenidone is
approved for marketing by InterMune® in the EU and Canada as
Esbriet®. Pirfenidone is not approved for marketing in the United
States. InterMune® resubmitted the pirfenidone New Drug Application
(NDA) to the U.S. FDA on May 23, 2014, to support regulatory
registration in the United States. The resubmission has been accepted
by the FDA and assigned a target PDUFA date of November 23, 2014.
The FDA has granted pirfenidone Breakthrough Therapy Designation. On
August 24, 2014, Roche and InterMune® announced they had entered into
a definitive merger agreement for Roche to fully acquire InterMune®
at a price of $74.00 per share in an all-cash transaction. The
closing of the transaction is expected to take place in 2014.
InterMune's research programs are focused on the discovery of
targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and
monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. For additional
information about InterMune® and its R&D pipeline, please visit
www.intermune.com. A full summary of product characteristics can be
found on the Electronic Medicines Compendium.(15)

*11 patient organisations including AMA Fuori dal Buio, Belgische
vereniging voor longfibrose, British Lung Foundation, Association
pour la fibrose pulmonaire idiopathique, Irish Lung Fibrosis
Association, Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, Asociación de Familiares
y Enfermos de Fibrosis Pulmonar Idiopatica, Lungenfibrose,
Longfibrose Patientenvereniging, LOT Austria, Long Fonds

References
(1) Gribbin J, et al. Thorax 2006; 61: 980-985
(2) Navaratnam V, et al. Thorax 2011; 66: 462-467
(3) Ley B, and Collard HR. Clin Epidemiol 2013; 5:483-492
(4) Eurostat News Release. Available at
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat. Accessed in September 2014
(5) American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002; 165: 277-304
(6) Raghu G et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011 ; 183: 788-824
(7) Travis WD et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2013;
188: 733-748
(8) Bjoraker JA et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998;
157: 199-203
(9) Collard HR et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003;
168: 538-542
(10) Cancer Facts and Figures 2009, American Cancer Society.
PAH data source: Hamilton, N. and Elliot C.
(11) American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002; 165: 277-304
(12) Kim DS et al. Proc Am Thorac Soc 2006; 3: 285-292
(13) Meltzer EB, Noble PW et al. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2008; 3-8
(14) National Institute of Health & Clinical Excellence.
Clinical Guideline 163:Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
June 2013
(15) http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/26942

For further information, please contact:
Manuela Maronati, Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing and
Advocacy, Europe,
InterMune International AG,
+41 61 466 80 41
mmaronati@intermune.com

Weber Shandwick, Geneva
+41 22 879 85 00
sthomas@webershandwick.com