BIBW 2992 cancer treatment data presented at ASCO

Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim´s lead investigational oncology compound BIBW 2992* demonstrates potential as a next generation treatment for non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck cancer

Ingelheim, Germany, 21 May 2010

Further new data on BIBW 2992* suggests it is at least as effective as cetuximab in head-and-neck cancer, and reaffirms activity in non-small-cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations

Boehringer Ingelheim 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 shrank tumours in 22% of patients with head and neck cancer (measured as partial response), compared to 13% of those receiving cetuximab1.
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 receptor2 - unlike available treatments in this class.

*BIBW 2992 is an investigational compound, its safety and efficacy has not yet been fully established.

1. Tanguy Y. Seiwert et al. BIBW 2992 versus cetuximab in patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer (SCCHN) after failure of platinum-containing therapy with a cross-over period for progressing patients: Preliminary results of a randomized, open-label Phase II study. Oral presentation at The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, Chicago. June 2010.

2. Li D et al. “BIBW2992, an irreversible EGFR/HER2 inhibitor highlyeffective in preclinical lung cancer models.” Oncogene 2008;27:4702-4711