New mortality data for Jascayd (nerandomilast) strengthens the case for earlier treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), showing meaningful survival benefits among patients with preserved lung function. The findings could reshape payer and prescribing decisions, supporting broader first-line use in Europe while giving Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) a stronger commercial narrative around early intervention, according to GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

Boehringer Ingelheim presented the data at the 2026 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress.

Connor Daniels, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The presentation is commercially relevant given that, since Jascayd’s US approval in Q4 2025, several payers have required documented failure of BI’s Ofev (nintedanib) before prescribing it.”

BI will hope the data persuades EU payers toward broader first-line coverage, following approval in both IPF and PPF in July 2026.

Jascayd is a preferential PDE4B inhibitor with antifibrotic, immunomodulatory and vasoprotective effects, taken orally twice daily. The pivotal FIBRONEER-IPF and FIBRONEER-ILD Phase III trials, published in 2025, showed both 9mg and 18mg doses reduced FVC decline at Week 52 versus placebo and met their primary endpoints, though neither met its secondary composite endpoint (time to first exacerbation, hospitalisation, or death).

Daniels adds: “Two points stood out. First, Jascayd’s effect on mortality was more pronounced in PPF (hazard ratio 0.51) than IPF (hazard ratio 0.66) in the overall population. Second, this mortality data was arguably more significant than the modest FVC decline seen in the pivotal trials.

“The presenter suggested this may reflect Jascayd’s additional autoimmune and vasoprotective effects, though further research is underway to confirm the mechanism behind this. Regardless of cause, the pooled data gives physicians evidence that early intervention improves survival chances, not just reduction in FVC decline, in patients with preserved lung function.”

Ofev remains the dominant antifibrotic globally, with Jascayd positioned as a complementary asset supporting a dual-mechanism strategy, while also hedging against Ofev’s generic erosion from 2026.

By showing that patients early in the disease course remain at high mortality risk, BI is shaping the narrative around survival, the outcome prescribers and payers care about most, reinforcing the case for early Jascayd initiation following its EU (July 2026) and Japan (May 2026) approvals.

Daniels concludes: “The data position BI at the forefront of IPF and PPF care, supporting earlier use of Jascayd. For BI, the priority now is leveraging this data in EU reimbursement discussions and converting it into rapid commercial uptake, drawing on physicians’ familiarity with its existing antifibrotic franchise.”