Major Pharmaceutical Companies Collaborate in Groundbreaking NCCN Project

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) has funded three studies in its first multi-industry collaborative research project in which Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) are collaborating with NCCN to study combination therapeutic agents in lung cancer and head and neck cancers.

The following studies were awarded funding through NCCN ORP:

• Aarti Bhatia, MD, MPH, Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, "Single-Arm Phase II Trial of Dual Inhibition of EGFR with Afatinib and Cetuximab with Correlative Studies in the Second-Line Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Cancers of the Head and Neck"
• Michael Gibson, MD, PhD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, "Afatinib and Nivolumab For Second-Line Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN)"
• Leora Horn, MD, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, "Phase I Trial of Combination Afatinib and Necitumumab in EGFR Mutation Positive NSCLC with Acquired Resistance to First or Third Generation EGFR TKIs"

Boehringer Ingelheim awarded NCCN ORP a $2-million research grant to support NCCN investigator-initiated pre-clinical, clinical, and correlative studies of combination therapies containing afatinib^[1] in the treatment of lung and head and neck cancers. NCCN and Boehringer Ingelheim collaborated with Lilly for access to necitumumab^[2].

Proposals of other afatinib combination therapies were also accepted. Submissions were peer reviewed by the NCCN Afatinib Combination Scientific Review Committee. The funded concepts were selected based on several criteria, including scientific merit, existing data, and the types of studies necessary to further evaluate the efficacy of afatinib.

"In facilitating this innovative research initiative, NCCN ORP indeed leads the way in laying the groundwork for future collaborative clinical research endeavors," said Susan Most, RN, MBA, Director, Clinical Operations, NCCN ORP. "The study of the effectiveness of combination therapies in oncology requires collaboration among various stakeholders, and NCCN applauds Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly in their combined efforts to advance cutting edge research to improve the lives of people with lung and head and neck cancers."

For more information about NCCN ORP, visit NCCN.org/ORP.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 of the nation's leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news.

About Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the company operates globally with 145 affiliates and about 50,000 employees. Since its founding in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel treatments for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and providing valuable services and support to patients and families. Our employees create and engage in programs that strengthen our communities. To learn more about how we make more health for more people, visit our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

For more information please visit www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS.

About Lilly Oncology
For more than 50 years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and www.lilly.com/newsroom/social-channels.

[1] Afatinib is FDA approved under the brand name Gilotrif for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test.

[2] Necitumumab is FDA approved under the brand name Portrazza. Portrazza, in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin, is approved for the first-line treatment of people with metastatic squamous NSCLC. Portrazza is not indicated for treatment of nonsquamous NSCLC.

Media Contact:
Katie Kiley Brown, NCCN
215-690-0238
[email protected]

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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http://www.nccn.org