Xalkori Helps Lung Cancer Patients - Drug Discovery and Development

NEW YORK (AP) – Pfizer Inc. said its lung cancer drug Xalkori helped lung cancer patients who had previously been treated for the disease.

Pfizer said Xalkori worked better than two older cancer drugs in the late-stage clinical trial. All patients had a rare type of non-small cell lung cancer and had previously been treated. The Food and Drug Administration approved Xalkori in August for use in patients whose cancer had not been treated.

In the study, patients took Xalkori, Alimta, or Taxotere. Pfizer said patients who took Xalkori had greater progression-free survival, or time from the start of treatment until they died or experienced disease progression. Xalkori is a pill taken twice per day while Alimta and Taxotere are given intravenously.

Xalkori is approved for use against non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have an abnormal gene that causes tumor growth. Xalkori blocks that gene, which is found in 1 percent to 7 percent of non-small cell lung cancer. About 85 percent of lung cancers are the non-small cell variety.

Pfizer is also testing Xalkori against other lung cancer regimens and in patients who have not been helped by two or more rounds of chemotherapy.

Date: June 19, 2012
Source: Associated Press