The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7369 p401
1 October 2005

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News summary

Oral drug for non-small cell lung cancer launched

Tarceva (erlotinib), a new oral drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer, has been launched by Abbott.

Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which is licensed for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. It is given at a dose of 150mg daily taken at least one hour before or two hours after food.

In a randomised controlled trial of 731 patients, erlotinib showed a survival benefit compared with placebo (PJ, 14 June 2004, p734).

Patients on erlotinib also experienced an increased time to deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, namely, cough, shortness of breath and pain, and an improvement in lung cancer symptoms.

Diarrhoea has occurred in 50 per cent of patients taking erlotinib and moderate or severe diarrhoea should be treated.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence expects to publish final guidance on erlotinib in 2007.

Correction Tarceva was launched by Roche, not Abbott.