Boehringer Ingelheims’ snintedanib for treatment of a type of systemic sclerosis gets fast tracked by the FDA

Boehringer Ingelheim’s  nintedanib for the treatment of systemic sclerosis with associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), has been put to the fast lane, based on Boehringer Ingelheim’s anticipated efficacy and safety data from SENSCIS (Safety and Efficacy of Nintedanib in Systemic SClerosIS), a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled global Phase III trial. 

“This Fast Track designation is an encouraging step in our ongoing research and commitment to advancing care of those with systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease,” said Christopher Corsico, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Boehringer Ingelheim. “It is critical that we address the significant unmet medical need of those living with this disease and we are looking forward to working with the FDA to advance the development of this potential therapy.”

Robert Riggs, Chief Executive Officer of the Scleroderma Foundation, added: “There have been no FDA-approved treatment options for scleroderma with lung involvement and very few drugs assessed in clinical trials for a devastating reality for people living with the disease.”

Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a rare disease characterized by the thickening and scarring of connective tissue of multiple organs in the body, typically affecting women between ages 25 and 55. Most people with the disease will develop some degree of lung scarring, or interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is the leading cause of death among people with systemic sclerosis.

Nintedanib, which is marketed as Ofev, is approved for a rare lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, and has been shown to slow disease progression as measured by annual rate of decline in lung function. Because SSC-ILD  and IPF share similarities in how the underlying lung scarring, or fibrosis, forms in people with the disease, Boehringer Ingelheim is evaluating the impact of nintedanib on SSC-ILD.