Information Centre
This area provides information on how to manage your condition and treatment with OFEV® (nintedanib).
Welcome
This Information Centre is designed for people with Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis (PPF) who have been prescribed OFEV® (nintedanib). This may be a time of uncertainty, and it's completely natural to have questions and concerns, we have provided some information you may find useful below.
This section of ‘your PPF support space’ was developed to support you during your treatment, helping you to understand your disease, manage your symptoms, know what to expect during your treatment with OFEV®, and providing you with tools and resources to help you live as well as you can.
If you have any questions after reading this information, or any further concerns, always talk to your medical team – they’re here to help you.
Disease information
You’ve been diagnosed with a progressive form of PF, which means this scarring has shown signs of getting worse. Your illness will be referred to in this website as ‘PPF’. You may also hear your doctor use the term ‘interstitial lung disease’ (ILD); this is used to describe a large group of diseases, including PF, that involve scarring of the lungs. For most people, the cause of PF is unknown; when no cause can be found, doctors use the term ‘idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’ (IPF).
If you want to know more about PF, IPF, or how PPF can be managed with OFEV®, follow the links below to access relevant information booklets.
Your symptoms
Symptoms are different for each person, but here are some of the most common ones:
that may get worse during day-to-day activities
(finger chubbing) caused by lack of oxygen
Learn more about Pulmonary Fibrosis
How PPF can be managed with OFEV®
How to take OFEV®
Make sure you take your medicine just as you’ve been advised by your medical team. The usual dose of OFEV® is one 150 mg soft capsule taken twice a day, about 12 hours apart.
Please find more detailed guidance for taking your medicine appropriately below:
(e.g. with breakfast)
(e.g. with dinner)
Do not take OFEV®:
If you are pregnant
If you are allergic to nintedanib, peanut or soya, or any of the other ingredients of this medicine listed in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking OFEV® if you have or have had liver problems, kidney problems, bleeding problems, take blood-thinning medicines, take pirfenidone, heart problems, recent surgery, high blood pressure, high blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs, aneurysm or artery dissections.
Possible side effects of your treatment and how to manage them
The side effects listed here are not intended to replace information within your patient information leaflet (PIL) and the advice given by your medical team. Side effect frequency may vary depending on the condition that is being treated, please refer to the PIL for further information on side effect frequency.
Not every patient on OFEV® gets side effects, but some do. Below is a list of the potential side effects associated with OFEV®.
The side effects listed below may vary depending on the specific condition that is being treated, please refer to the Patient Information Leaflet for more information.
(May affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- Abnormal liver test results
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the lower body (abdomen)
- Vomiting
(May affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Bleeding
- Headache
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Loss of appetite
- Rash
- Serious liver problems
- Weight loss
- Vomiting
(May affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Increased amount of protein in your urine (proteinuria)
- Inflammation of the large bowel
- Itching
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of eyes due to high levels of bilirubin)
- Low platelet count (thrombocytopenia)
- Pancreatitis
- Serious liver problems
(Cannot be estimated from the available data)
- A brain condition with symptoms such as headache, vision changes, confusion, seizure, or other neurological disturbances such as weakness in an arm or leg, with or without high blood pressure (posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome)
- Enlargement and weakening of a blood vessel wall or a tear in a blood vessel wall (aneurysms and artery dissections)
- Renal failure
Side effect support
Please read the patient information leaflet provided in your medicine pack to find out about other side effects.
More information about nausea and vomiting
More information about diarrhoea
Changing what you eat and drink may help manage the gastrointestinal side effects of OFEV®.
More details on how your diet can help manage side effects, as well as eating and drinking well to maintain a healthy body weight, can be found in your PPF support space’s Picnic Area and in the ‘Making every mouthful count’ nutrition guide.
Nutrition information
Making every mouthful count
OFEV® and side effects
Consultation planning
Your medical team
Throughout your treatment, your medical team will schedule regular appointments to see how you’re doing. Your medical team may include:
What to tell your medical team
Your team will need to know about any medical conditions you have and what medicines you have recently taken, might take or are taking.
Your PPF checklist
The more your healthcare teams know about you, the better they can tailor information to your needs. For example, it can be helpful to let your healthcare teams know:
How much you understand your condition
If you are aware of who can help you with your condition
If you know what you can do to help yourself in your day-to-day life
Whether you know how your condition is managed and what your options are
How confident you are in making your own decisions about your healthcare
If you know what to do should you have problems managing your health
How much your condition makes you feel anxious
It’s easy to forget to mention something important during a medical appointment. You should always try and bring a carer, family member or friend to the appointment for support, but between your visits, it can be helpful to jot down any questions you have about your health or treatment.
Living with your illness
While there are things with PPF you can’t control, you can do a lot to help yourself live as well as possible. Leading a healthy lifestyle and taking care of both your body and your mind can make a real difference to your day-to-day well-being.
Healthy eating
Try to eat a healthy balanced diet with regular mealtimes and plenty of fruit and vegetables – it will boost your physical health but also help you feel more positive mentally. A balanced diet will also help keep you at the right weight, which is important as you may feel more breathless if you’re overweight. If you have noticed a change in weight, either gaining or losing, it is important to tell your medical team straightaway.
More information on eating and drinking well is available in your Picnic Area.
Exercise and physical activity
Regular exercise is important, as it helps you maintain muscle strength and it can improve your sleep. Exercise can also reduce depression and anxiety, so it’s good for your mental well-being too. But, of course, exercising isn’t easy when you’re breathless, so start with small steps and set yourself exercise goals.
More information about how physical activity can help you is available in your Exercise Area.
Mental health and well-being
Your illness can take a toll on you emotionally, but there are things you can do to keep a positive outlook, and if your mental health is good, you’ll be more confident and better able to deal with stress and uncertainty.
More information on staying positive is available in your Zen Garden.
Travelling
PPF is a challenging and unpredictable disease. However, with due caution and common sense, it should not preclude your ability to travel.
Follow these links for handy checklists and advice to help you plan for your holiday.
Note: The content of the links above are hosted by a third party and not owned by Boehringer Ingelheim. The links are provided for convenience only.
Additional information
OFEV® patient guide
For more information about all or any of these issues, you can download the OFEV® patient guide here.
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Navaratnam V, et al. Thorax. 2011;66:462-467.
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NHS. Overview: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. 2022. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis/. Last accessed: March 2026.
NP-GB-103028 V2 | March 2026