Boehringer Ingelheim has released an iPhone app for patients prescribed its cancer drug Gilotrif (afatinib).

The My Treatment Guide app offers tools such as a medication reminder alarm, diary and calendar to keep track of appointments - all fairly standard tools for this type of app.

More unusually though it also includes branded information about Gilotrif and on what to expect during treatment with the drug.

The app, which doesn't yet appear to be available in an Android version, also provides 'discussion topics' for a patient's visits to their doctor and links to patient support sites.

Launched in the US in 2013, Gilotrif was Boehringer's first cancer drug to reach the market following FDA approval for its use in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.

The personalised cancer drug was approved alongside a companion diagnostic developed by Qiagen to detect the presence of EGFR mutations.

Boehringer said at the time that it planned to support the Gilotrif's launch with a “comprehensive patient support programme” of services.

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