Is nintedanib a hormonal drug?

Nintedanib is not a hormonal drug. It belongs to a class of drugs called multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which are used to treat specific types of pulmonary fibrosis. Initially planned for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Due to the similarity of growth factors involved in the pathogenesis of this cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, it was considered and studied as a potential treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Hormone drugs refer to hormones or synthetic analogs produced by glands in the human body and are used to regulate the physiological functions of the body. Common hormonal drugs include corticosteroids (such as cortisone), thyroid hormone, estrogen, etc. These drugs affect the body's metabolism, immunity and other functions by simulating or inhibiting the effects of hormones. In contrast, nintedanib is a small molecule targeted therapy that slows disease progression by inhibiting the signaling of multiple cytokines and receptors. It mainly inhibits the activity of receptor tyrosine kinases and interferes with cell signaling pathways, thereby reducing cell proliferation and fibrosis in the process of pulmonary fibrosis.

Nintedanib was one of the first antifibrotic drugs approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and is now also approved for other chronic fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD) with a progressive phenotype and systemic sclerosis-associated ILD (SSc-ILD). In well-designed clinical trials, nintedanib reduced worsening of lung function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, other chronic fibrotic ILD with a progressive phenotype, and SSc-ILD. In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the clinical benefit of nintedanib was shown to be sustainable for more than 4 years of treatment. The most common adverse events of nintedanib are diarrhea and nausea, which can be controlled by most patients.