Abstract
Research of angiogenesis inhibitors since 1998 has led to testing of a small molecule, nintedanib. Original assignment was to find a substance that would selectively inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), reduce the proliferation of endothelial cells, have good biological availability after oral administration and activity in tumour xenografts demonstrated in vivo.
The research resulted in the approval of nintedanib in the European Union in 2015, in the indication of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis now gain the historical first option to choose an antifibrotic drug, and patients who do not tolerate pirfenidone or in whom it is contraindicated are thus offered a comparable alternative.
Nintedanib has broadened the options available for patients with IPF.