InterMune lung drug passes trial, shares nearly triple

(Reuters) – InterMune Inc’s lead drug reduced the progression of a fatal lung disease in a late stage trial, inching closer to U.S. approval and almost tripling the company’s shares. The latest trial data brings the world’s biggest drugs market closer for InterMune’s pirfenidone, a medicine already in use in Europe, Canada and Asia. Pirfenidone was rejected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2010, citing lack of data to prove its effectiveness in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a potentially fatal lung disease. The health regulator asked InterMune to conduct a new trial to support the drug’s U.S. marketing clearance.