Dacomitinib (Vizimpro)

Mechanism of action

From the NCI Drug Dictionary: An orally bioavailable, highly selective, second-generation small-molecule inhibitor of the pan-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of tyrosine kinases (ErbB family) with potential antineoplastic activity. Dacomitinib specifically and irreversibly binds to and inhibits human EGFR subtypes, resulting in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in EGFR-expressing tumor cells.

Preliminary data

Non-small cell lung cancer

1. Ramalingam SS, Blackhall F, Krzakowski M, Barrios CH, Park K, Bover I, Seog Heo D, Rosell R, Talbot DC, Frank R, Letrent SP, Ruiz-Garcia A, Taylor I, Liang JQ, Campbell AK, O'Connell J, Boyer M. Randomized phase II study of dacomitinib (PF-00299804), an irreversible pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, versus erlotinib in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2012 Sep 20;30(27):3337-44. link to original article PubMed
2. Ramalingam SS, Jänne PA, Mok T, O'Byrne K, Boyer MJ, Von Pawel J, Pluzanski A, Shtivelband M, Docampo LI, Bennouna J, Zhang H, Liang JQ, Doherty JP, Taylor I, Mather CB, Goldberg Z, O'Connell J, Paz-Ares L. Dacomitinib versus erlotinib in patients with advanced-stage, previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer (ARCHER 1009): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2014 Nov;15(12):1369-78. link to original article PubMed