Boehringer Ingelheim to Initiate First Phase III Pivotal Study for New Oncology Compound BIBW 2992*

Study investigator, Dr. James Spicer, Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Medical Oncology at King's College School of Medicine, Guy's Hospital, London, U.K., commented on the findings: "More effective treatments for lung cancer, with fewer side effects, are badly needed. Novel, irreversible EGFR inhibitors like BIBW 2992* provide us with a glimpse of the next chapter in the evolution of lung cancer care, as they may bridge significant gaps in existing therapy, for example, addressing issues of resistance to treatment."

"We also need to recognise that not all lung cancer is the same, and an era of personalised prescribing in oncology is not far away. In particular, patients most likely to benefit from drugs designed to hit EGFR and related targets are female, light or never smokers, or those from East Asian populations, a group who often have adenocarcinoma tumours with mutated EGFR," he added.

Currently in phase II development, BIBW 2992* holds promise for activity against tumours resistant to first-generation inhibitors, due to its unique, irreversible dual inhibition of EGFR and HER2(2,3), two oncogenes associated with poor prognosis and advanced stage cancer. In studies to date(4), BIBW 2992* has been shown to have effect particularly in lung cancer patients with specific genetic mutations, reinforcing the need for further research in this
field.