Lapatinib

Lapatinib is an anti-cancer drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a treatment for solid tumours such as breast and lung cancer which is undergoing clinical trial as of 2006.

Lapatinib ditosylate (GSK572016) is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB-2 (Her2/neu) dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Preliminary findings (2006) are encouraging: it appears to arrest the development of breast cancer in some patients with metastatic, treatment-refractory disease. If the findings are supported by larger trials, lapatinib is likely to become an important treatment for solid tumours.