Boehringer Ingelheim trial shows significant survival benefit of Giotrif over Tarceva

German family-owned drug major Boehringer Ingelheim has published results showing significant overall survival benefit of Giotrif (afatinib) compared to Tarceva (erlotinib) in patients with previously-treated advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

The trial, LUX-Lung 8, was the largest prospective Phase III head-to-head study directly comparing two EGFR-directed treatments. Afatinib is not yet approved for use in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, but the study showed that treatment with afatinib resulted in superior progression-free survival and overall survival compared to erlotinib in this patient population.

Mehdi Shahidi, medical head of solid tumor oncology at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “The ErbB family of receptors plays an important role in the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, and is a valid therapeutic target for this type of cancer. The broader and irreversible ErbB blockade of afatinib may explain the superiority shown in LUX-Lung 8 over erlotinib, an EGFR inhibitor already approved in this setting. We are pleased with the publication of LUX-Lung 8 data in The Lancet Oncology and based on the improvement in overall survival with the use of afatinib, we are in the process of preparing regulatory submissions.”