Positive results from phase III trial of Vargatef (nintedanib) in NSCLC- Boehringer Ingelheim

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) in Vienna, Boehringer Ingelheim announced further data to support the efficacy of Vargatef (nintedanib) in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with adenocarcinoma histology. Further analysis of the data from the pivotal phase III LUME-Lung 1 trial showed that after first-line chemotherapy adenocarcinoma patients receiving nintedanib plus docetaxel had a significantly reduced rate of tumour growth over time, compared to patients receiving docetaxel alone.

At the time of treatment initiation, the average tumour size of the 658 adenocarcinoma patients who took part in the trial was 82.5mm (diameter). After six months of treatment, the adenocarcinoma patients receiving nintedanib plus docetaxel experienced about 10% less tumour growth over time (9.7mm), compared to those receiving placebo plus docetaxel (tumour size at 6 months: 98.4mm placebo plus docetaxel vs 88.7mm nintedanib plus docetaxel). Advanced adenocarcinoma patients with the poorest prognosis received an even more pronounced benefit from nintedanib plus docetaxel, compared to docetaxel alone, after first-line chemotherapy – adenocarcinoma patients whose disease progressed within nine months of starting first-line chemotherapy (T<9) showed a 16.8mm reduction in tumour size after six months versus placebo plus docetaxel.