Nintedanib Clinical Trial Shows Promise for Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare, incurable and difficult to treat cancer.  The cancer affects the mesothelium, which is a protective membrane surrounding the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium.  In the majority of instances, mesothelioma develops in the pleura that covers the lungs.  With treatment patients can increase their prognosis.  Typically, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or a combination of the three is recommend.  Mesothelioma is often not resectable, meaning surgery is not advised or possible.

Boehringer Ingelheim, an international pharmaceutical company, announced that their LUME-Meso Phase II clinical trial for uresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma met its goal for progression-free survival.  Progression-free survival is the time after treatment a patient lives with an illness but their condition does not change. 

The findings were presented at the 17th IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria.  Data shows that the addition of nintedanib, to the common chemotherapy drugs pemetrexed and cisplatin improved progression-free survival rates from 5.7 months to 9.4 months.  Overall survival rates also increased with this addition from 14.5 months to 18.3.  These increases were both compared to a placebo group which only received chemotherapy.

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Professor Giorgio V. Scagliotti of the University of Torino in Italy stated, “We are very encouraged by these (sic) recent data; the results have led to an extension for the study into a Phase III confirmatory trial that is now underway and will provide further insight into the potential of nintedanib for patients with MPM (malignant pleural mesothelioma).”

The worldwide clinical trial is enrolling in twenty three different countries, including the United States.  Patients with unresectable biphasic and epithelioid mesothelioma are eligible.  Boehringer Ingelheim expects the trial to be complete late in 2019.

Mesothelioma Group maintains a list of the various clinical trials enrolling across the United States.  Contact us at 888-708-5660 for more information about clinical trials in your area.