Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArt ... CANCER.xml

AstraZeneca moves lung cancer drug into Phase III

Mon Jul 4, 2005 9:09 AM BST

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is starting final-stage Phase III trials with an experimental dual-action pill which has produced promising early results in fighting lung cancer, the company said on Monday.

If successful, Zactima -- previously known as ZD6474 -- could help Europe's third largest drugmaker recover some of the ground it lost in oncology last year when its marketed lung cancer treatment Iressa failed in a key trial.

Recruitment into a number of Phase III studies evaluating the anti-tumour activity of Zactima in patients with non-small cell lung cancer will begin in the next few months.

The once-daily pill combines the action of Iressa and Tarceva -- a rival product made by Genentech Inc and Roche Holding AG -- with an ability to starve tumours of their blood supply.

It also inhibits a substance called RET kinase, which researchers think may be important in certain tumours.

Hopes for so-called anti-angiogenesis products designed to stop tumours developing blood vessels have been boosted recently by the success of Roche/Genentech's Avastin, which has produced promising results against a range of cancers.

But the field is proving far from easy and another anti-angiogenesis drug, known as PTK/ZK, from Novartis AG and Schering AG has disappointed in tests.

Results of a Phase II study on Zactima presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in May showed it increased progression-free survival, or the amount of time patients remain alive without their disease getting worse.

Data from another two mid-stage studies will be presented at the 11th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, Spain, later this week, AstraZeneca said.

Industry analysts said Zactima was still at a relatively early stage but the product could have significant sales potential if it succeeded in pivotal studies against lung cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.