The current status of development of anti-EGFR antibodies

The use of cetuximab, a mouse chimeric immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody, is approved as anti-epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)therapy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in Japan. Further, panitumumab, matuzumab, nimotuzumab and zalutumumab which also target EGFR, are currently under clinical development. Cetuximab is the first that has been developed as an anti-EGFR antibody. Approximately 30% of the protein which constructs the mouse chimeric antibodies is from mouse, which yields the possibility that the mouse chimeric antibodies induce host immune-reaction. After cetuximab, the humanized monoclonal antibodies such as matuzumab and nimotuzumab, and fully humanized monoclonal antibodies such as panitumumab and zalutumumab, have been developed. In this article, we will introduce the current status of development of these four anti-EGFR antibodies, by focusing on the individual clinical trials using each anti-EGFR antibody.