Cyramza Drug Does Not Meet Primary End Point

Eli Lilly has announced that the company’s Cyramza drug has not met its primary end point in a late-phase trial. Cyramza is a drug that is used to treat patients suffering from advanced liver cancer. Liver cancer is considered very difficult to treat, and patients typically have relatively limited treatment options in the advanced stages of the disease. Eli Lilly has said that, while the company knows the full results of the trial, it will not be releasing them to the scientific community until a conference that will be held at a later date.

Patients enrolled in the company’s late stage trial did not show statistically significant survival rates when compared to those getting treated with a placebo or the best comparative care. The trial had 565 patients, and although Eli Lilly did not meet its stated goals, the company has stated that there were positives to be taken from the results. “We are encouraged by the efficacy seen overall, especially in specific subpopulations. We plan to discuss these results with regulatory authorities," said Dr. Richard Gaynor, senior vice president product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology.

In 2011 and 2012, Cyramza earned a special designation from the FDA to treat liver cancer because early results from company studies were promising. This past April, the drug was also approved for treating patients with advanced stomach cancer. Initially, the drug was produced by ImClone Systems. Lilly acquired the pharmaceutical company in 2008 and gained access to Cyramza. Cyramza is still being studied for other potential cancer treatment uses, such as colorectal cancer. The drug works by slowing the establishment of blood vessels that bring critical nutrients to cancer tumors, which in turn inhibits cancer growth.