What is "gefitinib"

n. A drug, used in the treatment of certain types of cancer, that acts in a similar way to erlotinib by selectively targeting the mutant proteins in malignant cells.

For the genus of moth see Iressa (moth) Gefitinib (ZD1839) ( INN, , trade name Iressa, marketed by AstraZeneca and Teva), is a drug used for certain breast, lung and other cancers. Gefitinib is an EGFR inhibitor, like erlotinib, which interrupts signaling through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in target cells. Therefore, it is only effective in cancers with mutated and overactive EGFR. However, meta-analyses have not shown any improvement in overall survival, that is, it does not extend life.