Erbitux Doesn’t Up Lung Cancer Survival

U.S. firms ImClone Systems and Bristol Myers Squibb said Thursday their cancer drug Erbitux does not appear to improve survival in lung cancer.

The companies released findings from a phase 3 study of Erbitux in combination with a taxane and carboplatin as a first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

The data showed the drug did not result in a significant improvement in progression-free survival in patients with the disease.

But the companies added that key secondary endpoints of the study, such as response rates, were statistically significant and favored the Erbitux-treated patient group.

The phase 3 study included more than 600 patients from the United States and Canada.

Data are not yet available from the largest of three phase 3 trials of Erbitux, which is evaluating the drug in combination with cisplatin and vinorelbine for treating lung cancer, the companies said.

Erbitux is currently approved in combination with radiation therapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer, and for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.