Joining cetuximab, sorafenib, afatinib, intedanib, and crizotinib in phase III 
development for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are ramucirumab (developed by 
ImClone, a subsidiary of Lilly), necitumumab (developed by ImClone and 
Bristol-Myers Squibb), and tivantinib (ARQ 197, developed by ArQule and Daiichi 
Sankyo). Necitumumab is a second-generation anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (mAb) 
similar to cetuximab. Enrollment has been stopped in one of two necitumumab 
phase III trials because of safety concerns. Ramucirumab is an anti-VEGFR2 mAb 
targeting the same pathway as bevacizumab. Although the phase II safety data for 
ramucirumab appear better than the data for necitumumab, fewer phase III data 
are available. Tivantinib is a highly selective, orally available MET tyrosine 
kinase inhibitor. MET is overexpressed in 61% of NSCLC cases. Although 
tivantinib is the last of the three agents discussed here to enter phase III, 
its phase II results are the most robust.