ATC Group: L01EB Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Afatinib is a potent and selective, irreversible ErbB Family Blocker. Afatinib covalently binds to and irreversibly blocks signalling from all homo- and heterodimers formed by the ErbB family members EGFR (ErbB1), HER2 (ErbB2), ErbB3 and ErbB4.

Dacomitinib is a pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) (EGFR/HER1, HER2, and HER4) inhibitor, with activity against mutated EGFR with deletions in exon 19 or the L858R substitution in exon 21. Dacomitinib binds selectively and irreversibly to its HER family targets thereby providing prolonged inhibition.

Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor/human epidermal growth factor receptor type 1 (EGFR also known as HER1) tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Erlotinib potently inhibits the intracellular phosphorylation of EGFR. EGFR is expressed on the cell surface of normal cells and cancer cells. Due to the blocking of downstream-signaling, the proliferation of cells is stopped, and cell death is induced through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

Gefitinib is a selective small molecule inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase and is an effective treatment for patients with tumours with activating mutations of the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain regardless of line of therapy. No clinically relevant activity has been shown in patients with known EGFR mutation-negative tumours.

Osimertinib is a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI). It is an irreversible inhibitor of EGFRs harboring sensitising-mutations (EGFRm) and TKI-resistance mutation T790M. In vitro studies have demonstrated that osimertinib has high potency and inhibitory activity against EGFR across a range of all clinically relevant EGFR sensitising-mutant and T790M mutant NSCLC cell lines.