Erlotinib is used to treat metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, as first line treatment, maintenance treatment, or after failure of one prior chemotherapy. It is also used to treat locally advanced, unresectable (which cannot be removed by surgery), or metastatic (cancer which has spread) pancreatic cancer in combination with another drug called gemcitabine.
How it works
Erlotinib belongs to a class of medications called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. It works by preventing the activity of a protein called epidermal growth factor, and thereby stops the growth and spread of cancer cells.