Gefitinib 250mg Tablet

Gefitinib is a drug used for certain breast, lung and other cancers. Gefitinib is an EGFR inhibitor, like erlotinib, which interrupts signaling through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in target cells. Therefore, it is only effective in cancers with mutated and overactive EGFR.
Gefitinib is used to treat some people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

It only works for NSCLCs that have changes called EGFR mutations on the surface of their cells. EGFR mutations are most likely to occur in NSCLC in:

women
people who have never smoked
people with adenocarcinoma (a specific type of NSCLC)
people of Asian origin.


Tests may be done to check the level of EGFR. These will help you and your doctors decide if you're likely to benefit from gefitinib. Testing can be done at the time the cancer is diagnosed, or samples of cancer cells from previous biopsies or surgery may be used.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) gives advice on which new drugs or treatments should be available on the NHS in England and Wales. It recommends gefitinib as a possible first treatment for people with NSCLC that is EGFR positive and has spread to surrounding tissues or other parts of the body (advanced or metastatic).