AstraZeneca drug fails in key prostate cancer trial
ASTRAZENECA’S experimental prostate cancer pill Zibotentan failed to improve survival in a late-stage clinical trial, dealing a fresh blow to the company’s drug pipeline.
As a result, AstraZeneca plans no regulatory submissions for zibotentan at this time and a spokesman said yesterday it was discussing the implications of the setback with investigators working on other studies involving the drug.
The failure of zibotentan to improve overall survival in the late stage, or Phase III, study follows similarly unsuccessful trials for two other AstraZeneca pills, Recentin in colon cancer earlier this year and Vandetanib in lung cancer in 2009.
Vandetanib has since gone on to show benefits in thyroid cancer, a smaller potential market.
Zibotentan, a once-daily tablet, is being studied in more than 3,000 men with prostate cancer in a programme of clinical trials.