Pfizer Halts Enrollment In Lung-Cancer Drug Trial
09 Octubre 2009 - 1:47PM
Noticias Dow Jones
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) has temporarily halted enrollment of new
patients in a clinical trial of an experimental lung-cancer drug,
saying the drug was associated with a higher rate of adverse
events, including fatalities, than those who didn't get the
drug.
The drug is figitumumab, also known as CP-751,871. It was in a
Phase 3, or late-stage, trial in patients with a form of the
disease known as non-adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer.
The trial began around March 2008 and was projected to have
about 820 patients before ending in 2011, according to a U.S.
government clinical-trial database. Some of the patients were given
figitumumab in addition to the drugs paclitaxel and carboplatin,
while others would get paclitaxel and carboplatin only.
Pfizer said in a written statement Friday that an independent
committee monitoring drug safety found there were more serious
adverse events, including deaths, in people who received the Pfizer
drug. Pfizer didn't immediately disclose the number of such
events.
It was the latest research setback for Pfizer, which has
struggled to bring successful new drugs to market to offset lost
revenue from patent expirations for current best-sellers. Pfizer is
in the process of acquiring Wyeth (WYE) partly to beef up its
research efforts.
Pfizer is temporarily halting new enrollment of patients in the
trial, but currently enrolled patients may continue their treatment
in accordance with the trial design and in consultation with their
doctors. The company will work with the drug-safety committee to
analyze the data before issuing further guidance.
A separate study, which tests figitumumab with the drug Tarceva,
continues to enroll new patients, Pfizer said.
Figitumumab belongs to a class of drugs known as IGF-1R
inhibitors, which block a substance in the body known as
insulin-growth factor.
The Pfizer trial's halt was reported earlier by CNBC.
Pfizer shares rose 29 cents to $16.99 in recent trading
Friday.
- Peter Loftus; Dow Jones Newswires; 215-656-8289;
peter.loftus@dowjones.com