Afatinib is an oral anticancer medicine belonging to the class of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs).

It is an irreversible ErbB family blocker that inhibits EGFR (ErbB1) and HER2 (ErbB2) signaling pathways, thereby slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.

Afatinib Tablets IP 30 mg are mainly used for:

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

1. First-line treatment of metastatic NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations
2. Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of lung after platinum-based chemotherapy failure

Common Side Effects

• Diarrhea (very common)

• Skin rash / acneiform rash

• Mouth sores (stomatitis)

• Dry skin, itching

• Nail disorders (paronychia)

• Decreased appetite

• Fatigue
  
  Serious Side Effects

• Severe diarrhea → dehydration

• Interstitial lung disease (ILD)

• Liver dysfunction (elevated liver enzymes)

• Severe skin reactions

• Eye disorders (keratitis, conjunctivitis)

• Cardiac effects (rare)

Dose must be decided by an oncologist.

Usual Recommended Dose

• 30 mg orally once daily
  
   

  Administration Instructions

• Take on an empty stomach

  • At least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food

• Swallow tablet whole with water

• ---

• Do not crush or chew

• Continue until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity