Celgene’s pancreatic cancer drug meets primary endpoint in phase 3

Hannah Blake

pharmaphorum

Global biopharmaceutical company, Celgene, has announced that its phase 3 clinical trials of Abraxane have shown an improvement in survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. Shares of Celgene Corporation rose as much as 9.7% on Monday, after the phase 3 trial results were announced.

Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) was being evaluated in combination with gemcitabine in treatment-naïve patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The drug, when combined with gemcitabine, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival compared to patients receiving gemcitabine alone.

Details of the extent of this improvement have not yet been reported. The results are expected to be announced at the 2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held in San Francisco, US, on January 24-26, 2013.

Abraxane has already been approved to treat breast and lung cancer. While the drug is not currently approved for pancreatic cancer, Celgene will apply for approval from regulators to market Abraxane for this use, following these positive phase 3 results, in the near future.

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