# Nimotuzumab

Source: https://onco.cc/drugs/nimotuzumab/  
OnCo record `nimotuzumab` (Treatment). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Nimotuzumab is a Cuban-developed antibody against EGFR approved in India, China, Cuba and other countries for head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and brain tumours, usually with radiotherapy; it causes far less rash than cetuximab but has never been approved in the United States or Europe.

## Summary

Nimotuzumab was developed at Cuba's Center of Molecular Immunology and is marketed through partners in India (BIOMAb EGFR), China (Taixinsheng), Cuba and more than 25 other countries. Approvals cover squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, high-grade glioma in children and adults, and in some countries oesophageal and pancreatic cancer. Its intermediate affinity means bivalent binding only on cells with dense EGFR, which gives it a milder toxicity profile than cetuximab. Randomised trials from India and China show improved locoregional control and survival with chemoradiotherapy in head and neck cancer, but the drug has not been submitted to the FDA or EMA.

## Fields

- Kind: Treatment
- Status: established
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: h-R3
- Tags: gap-fill; chembl-universe
- Brand: BIOMAb EGFR / TheraCIM / CIMAher
- Modality: Humanised anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, intravenous
- Mechanism: Binds the extracellular domain of EGFR with moderate affinity, so it accumulates mainly on cells with high receptor density and spares normal skin, which explains its mild rash.

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimotuzumab
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimotuzumab
- ChEMBL CHEMBL2108574: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembl/explore/compound/CHEMBL2108574

## Connected records

- cancers: [Glioma & glioblastoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/glioblastoma/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [KRAS wild-type pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/kras-wild-type-pdac/), [Oesophageal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/esophageal/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- targets: [EGFR](https://onco.cc/targets/egfr/)
- drugs: [Cetuximab](https://onco.cc/drugs/cetuximab/)
- companies: [Biocon](https://onco.cc/companies/biocon/), [CIMAB](https://onco.cc/companies/cimab/), [Eurofarma](https://onco.cc/companies/eurofarma/)
- trials: [A Pan-RAS Inhibitor in Combination With Anti-Tumor Therapy in Participants With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07736612/), [AG Plus Nimotuzumab Sequential Irreversible Electroporation Ablation for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06938503/), [Efficacy of Tunlametinib in Combination With Anti-EGFR Monoclonal Antibody in Patients With RAS-Mutated Advanced Gastrointestinal Malignancies](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07446270/), [HRS-4642 in Combination With Nimotuzumab and Chemotherapy for BRPC With KRAS G12D Mutation](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07240766/), [HRS-4642 With Nimotuzumab and Chemotherapy for First-line Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Patients](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06770452/), [Nimotuzumab Combined With Chemoradiotherapy in the Treatment of Unresectable Locally Advanced or Oligometastatic Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07386704/), [Nimotuzumab Combined With GX as Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06409429/), [Nimotuzumab Combined With mFOLFIRINOX/GX as Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06389760/), [Nimotuzumab Combined With Nab-paclitaxel/Gemcitabine in the Perioperative Treatment of High-risk Resectable/Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07277452/), [NOTABLE (nimotuzumab, KRAS wild-type pancreatic cancer)](https://onco.cc/trials/notable-trial/), [Study of Adjuvant Nimotuzumab Combined with Nab-paclitaxel+ Gemcitabine in EGFR-positive Pancreatic Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06722911/)

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