Why doctors don’t recommend taking nintedanib

Nintedanib (Nintedanib) is an intracellular tyrosinase and tyrosine kinase inhibitor, mainly used to treat idiopathic pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. It reduces the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by slowing the rate of decline in lung function by inhibiting the platelet-derived growth factor receptor. However, although nintedanib can significantly improve a patient's quality of life in some cases, doctors may not recommend nintedanib for some patients for several reasons:

The most common adverse reaction of nintedanib is diarrhea, which may affect patients' daily life and nutrient absorption. In addition, other adverse reactions may occur, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as headache, high blood pressure, dyspnea, etc. Nintedanib may cause liver damage. Nintedanib should be discontinued when hepatic enzymes (such as aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) are elevated more than 3 times the upper limit of normal and are associated with signs or symptoms of moderate liver injury. If liver enzyme elevations are between 3 and 5 times the upper limit of normal and there are no signs of moderate liver damage, treatment may be interrupted or the dose may be reduced.

Nintedanib may interact with other drugs, resulting in enhanced or weakened drug efficacy, or even the production of harmful substances, affecting the patient's health. Therefore, before using nintedanib, doctors need to evaluate the patient's medication history to avoid drug-drug interactions. Nintedanib is not suitable for everyone. For example, patients who are allergic to nintedanib, pregnant women, lactating women, and patients with severe liver and kidney dysfunction should avoid using nintedanib.

In summary, although nintedanib has certain efficacy in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, doctors will consider the patient's specific situation and potential risks when deciding whether to use nintedanib.