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news.Boehringer Ingelheim's combination of Vargatef (nintedanib) and docetaxel has received approval from the National Health Service (NHS) as a treatment option for lung cancer in the UK.
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The recommendation for this combination follows a review by the NHS and Care Excellence (NICE).
The combination therapy is indicated for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of adenocarcinoma histology, for whom chemotherapy has stopped working.
Nintedanib belongs to a class of drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors, which prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching the tumor, by interfering with its blood supply.
Boehringer Ingelheim UK and Ireland country manager Zinta Krumins said: "We are extremely pleased that Vargatef has been recommended especially as the options in this setting are so limited. This will come as welcome news to patients, their families and carers."
In last November, Vargatef (nintedanib) secured European marketing authorization based on the international, placebo controlled Phase III LUME-Lung I trial which compared nintedanib plus docetaxel, to placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally advanced/metastatic or recurrent NSCLC after failure of first-line therapy.
In the LUME-Lung 1 trial, a total of 1,314 patients in Europe, Asia and South Africa, were given oral nintedanib 200mg twice daily on days 2-21, plus docetaxel 75mg/m2 on day 1 of each 3-week cycle or matching placebo plus docetaxel.
The median overall survival, which was a key secondary endpoint in the LUME-Lung 1 trial, was significantly longer in those patients of adenocarcinoma histology treated with nintedanib plus docetaxel compared to placebo plus docetaxel.