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New drug can slow progression of fatal lung disease by blocking the chemicals that trigger it

  • 5,000 people are diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis each year
  • People diagnosed with IPF have a life expectancy of between 3-5 years
  • Nintedanib has been shown by researchers to slow the disease progression

By
Daily Mail Reporter


Published:

18:30 EST, 18 May 2014

|
Updated:

09:14 EST, 20 May 2014

A new drug has been found to slow the progression of a fatal lung disease significantly.

Scientists from Southampton General Hospital discovered that nintedanib makes a dramatic difference to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The condition, which affects mainly men and former smokers, causes inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue. Sufferers have an average life expectancy of between three and five years, with 5,000 deaths and 5,000 new cases every year.

The drug nintedanib has been shown to slow the progress of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Nintedanib works by blocking the chemical signals that activate the disease by creating excess tissue and scarring and causing breathing problems.

The two studies, led by Professor Luca Richeldi, a consultant in respiratory medicine at Southampton General Hospital, compared the breathing capacity of 638 people with IPF who used the drug with 423 who took a placebo.

Breathing capacity is measured by the amount of air a person can expel after their deepest breath, which is seriously affected in IPF sufferers.

Researchers found that the decline in the breathing capacity of patients taking nintedanib was cut by around half over the two studies. The drug is now likely to be licensed worldwide within the next year, and avail-able to patients in the near future. 

Researchers hope that the drug will be licensed to treat IPF within the next twelve months (picture posed by model)

Professor Richeldi said: ‘The impact of this study cannot be overstated. These are exciting results and mean nintedanib has the potential to offer patients a new direction in treating this aggressive disease.’

He said: ‘The prognosis for patients with IPF is worse than many cancers and cases are increasing by 5,000 a year in the UK alone, so the need for new, targeted and more effective treatments has never been greater.

‘Nintedanib specifically targets some key molecular pathways known to be involved in IPF, which gives us a much clearer insight into how the body works and how we might be able to further develop treatments.

He added: ‘We expect an advance use programme to begin in Europe before next summer, so the drug may become available to at least some patients within the next few months.’

Researchers based at Southampton General Hospital (pictured) conducted the ground-breaking clinical study

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Comments (6)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

RW,

London, United Kingdom,

7 hours ago

Two months too late for my Dad who had IPF, an awful, awful disease.

The_Mutts_Nuts,

Dix Close, United Kingdom,

11 hours ago

Will NICE (National Institution Committing Euthanasia) state that it is too expensive to use, despite some 5000 people per year that could benefit from this drug? NICE do not seem to care about prolonging lives or curing diseases when everything they do is based on cost!

Jen,

Cambridge,

6 hours ago

That’s what they are there for!! To look after YOUR (and my) money!! The NHS can never fund every single new drug! I certainly wouldn’t want to have to take the decisions they have to take — of COURSE it is about money – where else do drugs and treatment come from?? It sounds as though the success rate of this drug is pretty good so I imagine there will not be any problem with funding it.

china tiger,

London, United Kingdom,

14 hours ago

I would willingly trial this drug, I was diagnosed to have IPF last July, living on borrowed time sucks so at least this is a glimmer of hope.

Brat,

Bruton,

16 hours ago

What is the use of all these discoveries when the NHS prevents the use of many useful drugs due to cost saving?

drhoward,

Slough,

5 hours ago

The NHS doesn’t prevent the use of many useful drugs if the cost of them does not exceed, by a substantial amount, the benefit they provide. It’s not about savings, it’s about getting the best value for the most of us in a situation where there is not a bottomless pit of money available. How else would you like it to work?

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