Background:

Icotinib is a potent and specific EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (IC50 = 5 nM) [1]

EGFR are family of receptor tyrosine kinase that is a transmembrane protein involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, motility and apoptosis. EGFR are expressed in various human cancer types, including breast, head & neck, NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) and ovarian caners. [1]

In human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cell line, Icotinib inhibited EGF-induced EGFR phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Icotinib inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of a variety of intracellular proteins. [1]

In different types of tumor xenograft mice models, Icotinib inhibited tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner without pronounced adverse effect in body weight loss and toxicity signs. In a randomized, double-blind, Gefitinib as control and multi-center phase III trial, Icotinib demonstrated efficacy on NSCLC in advanced stage. [1]

Reference:
[1] Tan F, Shen X, Wang D, Xie G, Zhang X, Ding L, Hu Y, He W, Wang Y, Wang Y.  Icotinib (BPI-2009H), a novel EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, displays potent efficacy in preclinical studies.  Lung Cancer. 2012 May;76(2):177-82.