Takeda trial hits late-stage buffers
pharmafile | February 17, 2015 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | AMG 706, Japan, NSCLC, Takeda, lung cancer, motesanib
Takeda is to scrap an advanced trial of an investigational drug after it failed to show any benefit in survival in people with lung cancer.
The Phase III MONET-A trial looked at the effect of motesanib (AMG 706) in 400 people with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Half the group were treated with a combination of motesanib along with paclitaxel and carboplatin, while the other half were treated with a placebo in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin.
The results showed there was no improvement in the study’s primary endpoint of progression-free survival – the length of time during and after treatment that a patient lives with the disease but it does not get worse.
“As a result, Takeda has elected to terminate the MONET-A trial, and will report on the full trial results once available” a Takeda statement says, adding the company “is working with trial investigators to ensure patients who participated in the study will receive appropriate therapies”.
Motesanib is an investigational, orally administered small molecule antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2 and 3, platelet driven growth factor receptors and stem cell factor receptor.
In June 2012, Takeda obtained an exclusive worldwide license from Amgen, to develop, manufacture and market motesanib. Amgen received an upfront payment and is still eligible to receive milestones and net sales royalties.
Motesanib is not the only Takeda investigational drug to suffer a blow this year however. In February the company announced it was abandoning the development of a vaccine that had been in Phase II trials, “to ensure that Takeda’s R&D resources are directed toward the highest-impact programmes for public health”.
Lilian Anekwe
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