Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd's targeted lung cancer therapy, Giotrif, recognized with prestigious Prix Galien Canada — Innovative Product Award

“Giotrif represents an important milestone in Canadian pharmaceutical history, and we are proud that the Prix Galien Jury has recognized our work with this special award," says Richard Mole, President and CEO, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. “Treatment innovation in this disease area is critical because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada."

Giotrif was approved by Health Canada in 2013. It is a targeted monotherapy for the treatment of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor naïve patients with metastatic (including cytologically proven pleural effusion) adenocarcinoma of the lung with activating EGFR mutation(s). Its unique mode of action enables it to block EGFR (ErbB1) as well as the other relevant members of the ErbB Family that are known to play a critical role in the growth and spread of the most pervasive cancers and cancers associated with high mortality.

"Afatinib is an important addition to the treatment landscape for Canadian lung cancer patients and the medical oncology community," says Dr Barbara Melosky, a medical oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency and associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. "Lung cancer is not one disease; it requires new approaches to test new combinations of treatments, particularly for the hard-to-treat patient population — a significant need which afatinib has been shown through clinical studies to successfully address. Afatinib has demonstrated in studies prolonged progression-free survival, improved quality of life, and an overall survival benefit compared with standard chemotherapy in patients with the EGFR mutation."

The Prix Galien Canada — Innovative Product Award is presented to the company that has developed a drug product launched in the Canadian market and judged by the Jury to have made the most significant overall contribution to patient care in Canada in terms of efficacy, safety, benefits and innovation.