Gilotrif to Be Commercially Available in the U.S. Soon
Afatinib (Gilotrif), a new drug for the treatment of some lung cancers, will become commercially available in the U.S. beginning the week of September 2. Gilotrif is approved as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have certain mutations in the EGFR gene. A companion diagnostic, the therascreen EGFR RGQ PCR Kit, can detect these specific EGFR mutations, so-called exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitutions. The makers of the drug will offer a patient support program to provide financial and other support to help patients who might otherwise not have access to Gilotrif.