Ofev has been recommended for use within the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales in adult patients only if the person has moderate disease with a forced vital capacity between 50% and 80%.
Boehringer Ingelheim is also required to offer nintedanib with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme and stop treatment if disease progresses in any 12-month period.
Boehringer Ingelheim UK and Ireland medical director and managing director Klaus Dug said: "This NICE recommendation for Ofev is very welcome news for patients in England and Wales who have this devastating disease, as it gives doctors a much needed new option in the management of IPF."
Ofev is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) which blocks several pathways that could be involved in the scarring of lung tissue.
It slows disease progression by reducing the annual rate of decline in lung function by 50% in a range of IPF patient types.
Ofev targets growth factor receptors, which have been demonstrated to be involved in the mechanisms by which pulmonary fibrosis takes place. It has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in October 2014.
IPF is characterised by progressive scarring of lung tissue and loss of lung function over time. Over 5,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with the disease per year.
Image: Boehringer Ingelheim’s corporate headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany. Photo: courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH.