afatinib + pembrolizumab

Afatinib + pembrolizumab is an experimental drug combination that has been studied for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) of the lung in patients who have progressed during or after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Afatinib is a selective and irreversible ErbB family blocker with activity against all homo- and heterodimers formed by ErbB family members EGFR (ErbB1), HER2 (ErbB2), ErbB3, and ErbB4. Pembrolizumab is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody with potent receptor-blocking activity for PD-1. The combination was investigated based on the biological rationale for concurrent inhibition of the programmed death ligand-1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways in this patient population.