PDE4B inhibitor slows IPF progression, says Boehringer

The promising 12-week Phase II data for BI 1015550, a novel investigational phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) inhibitor, showed a reduction in the rate of lung function decline in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) will be presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference Breaking News session today (May 16) in San Francisco, said German family-owned pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim. The data are also published in  The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

“These encouraging, early data showed treatment with BI 1015550 slowed the rate of lung function decline in patients who were not on approved antifibrotics, as well as those who were taking existing antifibrotic therapy,” commented Luca Richeldi, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy, and the Principal Investigator on the trial.

The primary endpoint of the trial was the change from baseline in forced vital capacity (FVC) – meaning the maximum amount of air (measured in mL) that can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after fully inhaling – at week 12. Median changes for patients taking BI 1015550 showed a slight improvement in FVC, and in those who took placebo, FVC was reduced: