The FINANCIAL — Bayer HealthCare AG and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on April 27 announced that a Phase III trial evaluating Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets in patients with unresectable stage III or stage IV melanoma was stopped early following a planned interim analysis by an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC).
"The trial was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and led by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) under a Clinical Trials Agreement between NCI and Bayer and Onyx. The DMC concluded that the study would not meet the primary endpoint of improved overall survival among patients receiving Nexavar in combination with the chemotherapeutic agents carboplatin and paclitaxel versus patients receiving placebo plus the chemotherapeutic agents. The treatment effect was comparable in each arm. The DMC also reported there were no unexpected serious side effects, though the final analysis of data will occur per protocol and statistical analysis plan," Bayer announces.
Bayer and Onyx will further review the findings of this analysis and DMC recommendation to determine what, if any, impact these data might have on other ongoing Nexavar melanoma trials. Data from this study is expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting.
“We’re disappointed with the results of the study and that the therapy did not bring benefit to patients with melanoma, a historically difficult tumor to treat,” said Dimitris Voliotis, Vice President in Global Clinical Oncology at Bayer HealthCare. “Onyx and Bayer remain committed to our broad clinical program to investigate the potential of Nexavar in a wide range of cancers, and we intend to build upon the success of Nexavar in our approved indications in hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) and advanced renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer).”
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