Very nice
news – a drug against lung cancer very soon will be available! Probably…
The SFJ Pharmaceuticals Group (SFJ), announced today
that it has entered into a collaborative development agreement with Pfizer Inc.
to conduct a Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer's investigational pan-HER
(pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitor, dacomitinib
(PF-00299804). The trial, which will be
conducted across multiple sites in Asia and Europe, will evaluate dacomitinib
as a first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating mutations of epidermal
growth factor receptor (EGFR).
And we are
talking about targeted approach: Dacomitinib
(PF-00299804) is a second-generation irreversible pan-erbB receptor tyrosine
kinase inhibitor. It is believed to irreversibly
inhibit erbB tyrosine kinase activity through binding at the ATP site and
covalent modification of nucleophilic cysteine residues in the catalytic
domains of erbB family members.
Therefore, thistargeted approach is not very much targeted – Dacomitinib is not specific to
just one particular protein but to the whole family of erbB tyrosine kinases. Do not
ask me why. And do not ask me who, when and how will be develop
a medicine to the rest of lung cancer patients without activating
mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). We will follow the
development of the situation with Dacomitinib with much interest!
