NICE recommends VARGATEF in combination with docetaxel as an option for patients with NSCLC of adenocarcinoma histology

Following a review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK, Boehringer Ingelheim’s VARGATEF® (nintedanib) in combination with docetaxel has been recommended for use within the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales.

This is positive news for patients with locally advanced metastatic or locally recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of adenocarcinoma histology who have had limited treatment options that have been shown to extend survival after first-line chemotherapy.

Dr Mehdi Shahidi, Medical Head, Solid Tumour Oncology, Boehringer Ingelheim, commented, “We are delighted with this announcement from NICE which represents an important milestone in the effort to extend survival for patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung following initial treatment with chemotherapy. The survival advantage demonstrated by VARGATEF, in combination with docetaxel, has been shown with a predictable and generally manageable safety profile.”

VARGATEF has also been accepted for use without restriction within NHS Scotland

NICE has issued a Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) for VARGATEF and, subject to any appeal by consultees, the FAD may be used as the basis for the institute’s guidance on the use of the appraised technology in the NHS in England and Wales. Nintedanib, in combination with docetaxel, is the first and only triple angiokinase inhibitor available for EU patients with advanced NSCLC of adenocarcinoma histology after first-line chemotherapy.

Since the launch of VARGATEF in January 2015 it has also been:

• accepted for use without restriction within NHS Scotland, as per its licensed indication
• accepted by the Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency to be subsidised as a treatment of advanced lung cancer patients with adenocarcinoma in combination with docetaxel after first-line chemotherapy
• assessed by the German IQWiG who indicated an added benefit for the treatment of advanced lung cancer patients with adenocarcinoma in combination with docetaxel after first-line chemotherapy without brain metastases.