Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

afatinib dimaleate

(ay-FA-tih-nib dy-MAY-lee-AYT)
A drug used to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer that have spread to other parts of the body. It is used in patients whose cancer has not already been treated and has certain mutations (changes) in the EGFR gene or whose cancer got worse after treatment with platinum chemotherapy. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Afatinib dimaleate blocks certain proteins made by the EGFR gene, which may help keep cancer cells from growing. It may also prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. Afatinib dimaleate is a type of tyrosine kinase inhibitor and a type of antiangiogenesis agent. Also called Gilotrif.
More Information
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms