Exelixis’ Cabometyx smashes Pfizer cancer drug in Phase II trial
pharmafile | October 11, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | Cabometyx, Exelixis, Pfizer, Phase II, Sutent, advanced renal cell carcinoma
Phase II results presented by genomics-based discovery company Exelixis at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congresss has put pressure on Pfizer as it was shown that the smaller firm’s Cabometyx (cabozantinib) outperformed the pharma giant’s Sutent (sunitinib) in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
In a randomised study of 157 patients with advanced RCC, Cabometyx met its primary endpoint of increasing progression-free survival (PFS) and secondary goals of overall survival and objective response rate; after a median follow-up of 20.8 months, the drug saw a 31% reduction in disease progression or death compared to Sutent, with average PFS of 8.2 months vs 5.6 – a 46% improvement. Cabometyx’s objective response rate also stood at 46% versus Sutent’s 18% median overall survival was 30.3 months compared to 21.8 months.
Cabometyx targets MET, AXL and VEGFR-1, -2 and -3. The drug was approved by the FDA earlier in the year for the treatment of RCC in patients who have received prior anti-agiogenic therapy, and the European Commission authorised the drug for the treatment of advanced RCC in adults who have received prior VEGF-targeted therapy last month.
Study leader Toni Choueiri commented: “Not only has [Cabometyx] surpassed [Sutent], the current standard of care, in progression-free survival and objective response rate, [Cabometyx’s] effects on progression-free survival were also consistently favourable across patient stratification subgroups.”
Matt Fellows
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