Can nintedanib ethanesulfonate treat lung cancer?

Nintedanib can be used to treat lung cancer, sold under the trade name Vargatef in the EU and elsewhere, and is indicated for the treatment of a type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) called adenocarcinoma when the cancer is locally advanced, metastatic (when cancer cells spread from the original site to other parts of the body) or locally recurrent (when the cancer comes back in the same site). This drug is used in combination with a chemotherapy drug called docetaxel and is used in patients who have already received chemotherapy.

In a major study involving 1,314 patients with advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer who had not responded to prior treatment, nintedanib combined with docetaxel was more effective than docetaxel alone in delaying cancer progression. Progression-free survival (how long a patient lives without disease progression) was 3.5 months for those who received nintedanib plus docetaxel, compared with 2.7 months for those who received docetaxel. Additionally, in a subgroup of patients with adenocarcinoma-type NSCLC, nintedanib led to an improvement in overall survival (how long patients lived): Overall survival was 12.6 months for those who received nintedanib plus docetaxel, compared with 10.3 months for those who received docetaxel alone.

Nintedanib is available by prescription only, and treatment should be initiated and supervised by a doctor experienced in the use of cancer medications. Nintedanib is available as capsules ( 100 and 150 mg) for oral administration, preferably with food. The recommended dose is 200 mg twice daily (approximately 12 hours apart). Treatment with nintedanib can be continued as long as the disease improves or remains stable and side effects are tolerated. Since nintedanib is only approved for the treatment of lung cancer in the EU, whether it can also be used to treat lung cancer in other regions requires patients to follow their doctor's advice.