Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the company will present promising new data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, 4-8 June 2010, for its leading investigational compound BIBW 2992. New data from a recent study that was accepted by ASCO for presentation showed that BIBW 2992 shrinked tumours in 22 per cent of patients with head and neck cancer (measured as partial response), compared to 13 per cent of those receiving cetuximab.

BIBW 2992 is a next generation small molecule targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER1) and human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) receptor tyrosine kinase. The compound works distinctively by irreversibly binding to the receptor 2 - unlike available treatments in this class.

“The results for BIBW-2992 are potentially quite meaningful for patients diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancer since the data support that this novel, irreversible EGFR/erbB2 compound appears to be at least as effective as cetuximab with a comparable safety profile.” says Tanguy Y. Seiwert, MD, lead investigator of the trial, University of Chicago Medical Center “Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer carries a very poor prognosis, and this is truly the first time that an oral EGFR targeting agent has shown this level of activity in Head and Neck Cancer. At this advanced stage patients with Head and Neck Cancer have few treatment options, and BIBW 2992 could potentially provide a much needed alternative treatment option.”

Furthermore, new data on BIBW 2992 that will be presented at ASCO 2010 reaffirms its significant anti-tumour activity in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations. The data from the LUX-Lung 2 trial shows that:

The majority of patients (61%) with common EGFR mutations (deletion 19 and L858R) have significant tumour shrinkage (measured as partial response) when treated with BIBW 2992 as assessed by independent review.

Patients with common mutations taking BIBW 2992 have a long time to progression (median of approximately 14 months) and a long survival (median of 2 years).

Professor James CH Yang, National Taiwan University Hospital and investigator of the LUX-Lung 2 clinical trial comments: “These results are exciting, as they affirm BIBW 2992’s marked and durable anti-tumour activity in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations.”

LUX-Lung 2 is part of the comprehensive LUX-Lung clinical trial programme. Currently, this clinical trial programme comprises more than ten trials conducted across the globe.