Boehringer Ingelheim researchers test nintedanib on patients with severe lung disease.
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Jamie Barrand | Dec 10, 2015

Boehringer Ingelheim researchers test nintedanib on patients with severe lung disease

Researchers from German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim are conducting trials to determine if the nintedanib drug would help patients living with lung conditions like systemic sclerosis (SSc) and interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD).

This study follows others that showed nintedanib to be effective in slowing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is marked by thickening and scarring of connective tissue in the body's organs, and interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is the scarring of the lungs related to SSc.

“People affected by SSc-ILD are often young -- between 25 and 55 years old -- and are faced with considerable disability related to the systemic nature of scleroderma," Dr. Kristin Highland, of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, said. "They often have significant shortness of breath and cough from lung disease and severe pain and contractures as a consequence of their skin involvement. This occurs during years when they are deeply engaged in building careers and caring for family."

Researchers have launched the Safety and Efficacy of Nintedanib in Systemic Sclerosis (SENSCIS) study, which is now accepting recruits. The team expects more than 500 patients to take part in the study.

"There are no approved treatments for SSc-ILD, and few drugs have been assessed in clinical trials for this disease," Highland said. "The SENSCIS trial will help to further inform the medical community about SSc-ILD and whether nintedanib could be an effective therapy for people with this condition.”

The SENSCIS study will take place over a 52-week period, during which some patients will take 150 milligrams of nintedanib twice daily, while others receive a placebo.

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