Homepage > Company > Media > Pharma News > 2018 > Merck KGaA-Pfizer to end late-stage ovarian cancer treatment study

Merck KGaA-Pfizer to end late-stage ovarian cancer treatment study

(Reuters) - Merck KGaA and Pfizer Inc said on Friday they were ending a late-stage study for their drug to treat a form of ovarian cancer in previously untreated patients.

The results showed the drug, Bavencio, in combination with, or as a follow-on treatment to, platinum-based chemotherapy could not achieve the primary goal of progression-fee survival in patients.

Last year, Bavencio, or avelumab, failed to prolong lives in a separate trial to evaluate the immunotherapy in gastric cancer patients.

Earlier this year, the drug did not show improvement in survival in lung cancer patients who had previously undergone unsuccessful chemotherapy.

The setbacks come at a time when the drug is competing against other immunotherapy cancer drugs such as Merck & Co’s Keytruda, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo.

Eery year, more than 295,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer worldwide and the disease is generally advanced when it is diagnosed, as it often has few to no symptoms at the early stages.

Merck KGaA shares closed down 0.26 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at 93.36 euro, while those of Pfizer rose about 1 percent to $42.34.

DECEMBER 21, 2018

https://www.reuters.com/

Read also

AskBio’s AB-1002 gene therapy receives FDA Fast-Track status

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track designation to Bayer subsidiary Asklepios BioPharmaceutical’s (AskBio) investigational gene therapy AB-1002, aimed at...

“Lack of harmonisation in Europe” hindering gene therapy growth

The future of cell and gene therapy access in Europe could be more precarious than across the pond.

Moderna stock on track for the eighth consecutive day of losses

Moderna shares are trading in the red on Friday, on track for the eighth consecutive day of losses. Stock down 1.28% at $100.70. MRNA has lost about 29.6% in the last 12 months and YTD, the st...

Alvotech moves to bring its Humira biosimilar to US market

Hot on the heels of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Alvotech and Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Simlandi (adalimumab-ryvk), Alvotech has announced a long-term agreement w...