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NCCN Receives $2 Million in Research Funding from Boehringer Ingelheim to Study Nintedanib* in Colorectal and Lung Cancers
The NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP) received a $2-million grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to facilitate studies of nintedanib in colorectal and lung cancers at NCCN Member Institutions.
FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) has been awarded a $2-million grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop a program to scientifically evaluate and define the safety and clinical effectiveness of the investigational compound nintedanib* (BIBF 1120) in the treatment of colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers.
"We are grateful to collaborate with Boehringer Ingelheim on this ground-breaking research initiative," said Diane E. Paul, MS, RN, Vice President, NCCN ORP. "The research supported by this grant gives investigators from NCCN Member Institutions the opportunity to advance the field of oncology by evaluating the use of nintedanib in multiple tumor types."
The first phase of the program will involve the establishment of an NCCN Nintedanib Request for Proposals Development Team to evaluate existing data and to discuss and define the data and type of studies necessary to further characterize the safety and clinical effectiveness of nintedanib in colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers.
Nintedanib is an investigational orally-administered triple angiokinase inhibitor that targets three of the receptor tyrosine kinases shown to aid in the regulation of angiogenesis: fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). Angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, is also involved in the growth of cancerous tumors by supplying nutrients and oxygen – often referred to as tumor angiogenesis.i All three receptors are associated with tumor angiogenesis, and their blockade may lead to the inhibition of tumor growth and spread.ii
"Boehringer Ingelheim is pleased to be supporting the National Comprehensive Cancer Network to develop a program to help evaluate and define the safety and clinical effectiveness of our investigational compound, nintedanib, in the treatment of colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers," said Berthold Greifenberg, MD, Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Oncology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "We look forward to working with the NCCN Member Institutions in this joint commitment to researching potential new therapies for patients with these devastating diseases."
The NCCN ORP draws on the expertise of investigators at NCCN Member Institutions and the NCCN Affiliate Research Consortium (ARC) to facilitate all phases of clinical research. This research is made possible by collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in order to advance therapeutic options for patients with cancer. The NCCN ORP will utilize the grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to support investigator-initiated clinical and correlative studies at NCCN Member Institutions and their affiliate community hospitals for nintedanib. To date, this successful research model has received approximately $44 million in research grants and supported 116 studies that have produced a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals.
To learn more about the NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org.
About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation (Ridgefield, CT) and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.
Building on scientific expertise and excellence in the fields of pulmonary and cardiovascular medicine, metabolic disease, neurology, virology and immunology, Boehringer Ingelheim has embarked on a major research program to discover and develop innovative cancer treatments. Working in close collaboration with the international scientific community and a number of the world’s leading cancer centers, Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to oncology is underpinned by using advances in science to develop a range of targeted therapies for various solid tumors and hematological cancers. The current focus of late-stage research includes compounds in three areas: signal transduction inhibition, angiogenesis inhibition and cell-cycle kinase inhibition. The company is also evaluating a robust and growing pipeline of early-stage oncology compounds in areas including growth/survival signaling, immunotherapy and epigenetics.
For information about participating in a Boehringer Ingelheim clinical trial, please visit www.bicancertrials.com or call 1.866.725.7110. Healthcare providers interested in learning more about Boehringer Ingelheim clinical trials in oncology can visit www.inoncologyus.com for additional information.
For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
* This compound is investigational and not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its safety and efficacy have not been established.
i National Cancer Institute (NCI). Fact Sheet: Angiogenesis Inhibitors. Available here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/angiogenesis-inhibitors. Last accessed February 22, 2013.
ii Ballas, M., Chachoua, A. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Rationale for targeting VEGF, FGF and PDGF for the treatment of NSCLC. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116793/ Last accessed February 25, 2013.