Boehringer’s lung cancer candidate enters phase III

pharmafile | August 5, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Boehringer, Cancer 

Boehringer Ingelheim is to enter phase III studies with a candidate to treat a subset of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The drug, called BIBW 2992, will be trialled in patients that have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, meaning their lung cancer will grow faster than in other patients.

The LUX-Lung study will compare the efficacy and safety of the single-agent BIBW 2992 to that of standard chemotherapy as a potential first-line treatment for these patients.

Boehringer cited support for the trial from James Yang, professor at the Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine and the Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy at the College of Medicine at the National Taiwan University.

He said: "The Boehringer Ingelheim LUX-Lung 3 trial studying BIBW 2992 in patients with EGFR mutations will be important as we continue to work towards providing personalised medicine for patients with lung cancer."

BIBW 2992 is the first orally-administered irreversible dual inhibitor of EGFR and HER2 to reach phase III development in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

NSCLC remains an area of significant unmet need, though many companies are researching the use of new-targeted agents.

It is the leading cause of death from cancer in Europe, accounting for 20% of all cancer deaths.

Boehringer Ingelheim's LUX-Lung trial programme currently includes two phase III trials assessing the efficacy and safety of BIBW 2992 in various NSCLC patient populations across the globe.

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