AstraZeneca Begins Late Stage Trial of Cancer Drug
AstraZeneca has announced that the company is beginning a late stage trial for MEDI4736, a new non-small cell lung cancer drug. The late stage PACIFIC trial will enroll 702 patients at more than 100 sites around the world. AstraZeneca researchers will evaluate the progression free survival and overall survival rates for non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with MEDI4736 versus those treated with a placebo.
MEDI4736 is a human monoclonal antibody which targets the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway and stimulates the patient’s immune system, enabling it to attack cancer. This phase III trial follows in the footsteps of a phase 1 program that evaluated the clinical activity and safety profile of MEDI4736. The results from the drug’s Phase I trials will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago on May 30th through June 3rd.
MEDI4736 is just one of many cancer drugs in the AstraZeneca pipeline that work by stimulating the body’s immune system. Industry analysts believe that is what has made the company an attractive acquisition target for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Other immune-oncology drugs being developed by AstraZeneca include tremelimumab, MEDI0680, and MEDI6469. The company is also exploring immuno-therapies that treat a variety of different cancer tumors.
Briggs Morrison, the head of global drug development for AstraZeneca, commented on the start of the MEDI436 study. “MEDI4736 is an important molecule in our immuno-oncology portfolio and its entry into Phase III clinical trials is further evidence of our commitment to invest in distinctive science in our core therapy areas and to rapidly progress our immuno-oncology pipeline,” said Morrison.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization, lung cancer is responsible for nearly 20 percent of all deaths from cancer around the world.