Aranesp: No Lung-Cancer Survival Benefit

U.S. firm Amgen said Thursday its 145 study of its anti-cancer drug Aranesp did not up survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

The company was testing the drug in a placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 3 study of 600 previously untreated patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer who were receiving platinum-containing chemotherapy.

The trial showed no statistically significant difference in risk of death, compared to placebo, or in investigator determined progression-free survival.

Amgen noted that the Aranesp-treated patients did see a significantly lower risk of blood transfusions, and a significant change in hemoglobin concentration from baseline in favor of Aranesp

The 145 study is a component of Amgen’s ongoing pharmaco-vigilance program designed to evaluate the effect of Aranesp on long-term survival in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia, said Roger Perlmutter, Amgen’s executive vice president of research and development. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence on ESA safety, reinforcing the neutral impact of ESAs on survival in cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced anemia.