All of the following statements about Erlotinib are true, except:
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Food decreases its absorption
Rashes may occur
Used in Non small cell lung carcinoma
Ans is 'b' i.e. Food decreases its absorption Erlotinib o Erlotinib is a human HER1/EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. o It is indicated for treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non small cell lung cancer. It is also used in carcinoma of pancreas, head & neck cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and carcinoma of unknown primary. o Erlotinib is about 60% absorbed after oral administration and its bioavailability is substantially increased to almost 100% by food The time to peak concentrations is approximately 4 hours after a dose. The half life of erlotinib is about 36 hours and it is eliminated predominately by CYP450 3 A4. Smoking increases the clearance of erlotinib by 24% which may result in treatment failure. o The most common adverse reaction in patients receiving erlotinib are diarrhea and rash. Other side effects are intersitital lung disease, anorexia, pruritis, conjunctivitis, elevated livers enzymes and bleeding.