ZD1839 (IRESSA™): A selective EGFR-TK inhibitor

The recent development of highly selective, target-based cancer therapeutics, such as ZD1839 has resulted from a greater understanding of tumor biology. Amongst the most promising of new target-based agents are inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor. ZD1839 is a potent, selective epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated promising results in early clinical trials.