NICE Expands Recommendation of Ofev for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has expanded its recommendation for National Health Service (NHS) use for Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ofev (nintedanib) in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that leads to scarring of lung tissue.

NICE originally recommended the drug in January 2016 for patients who have a forced vital capacity — the amount of air that is forcibly exhaled after taking the deepest possible breath — value of 50 to 80 percent of expected normal capacity.

The new recommendation extends the drug’s use to people with a forced vital capacity of more than 80 percent of expected normal lung capacity.

The extended recommendation was supported by clinical trial evidence showing that Ofev slows the decline of lung function in patients whose forced vital capacity is more than 80 percent.