Cancer Clinical Trials and Treatments Late Stage Developments

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For the cancer drug research enthusiast, this report might read in places like a special oncology edition of a gun magazine. Indeed, there are plenty of weapons against cancer to read about here. Several of the drugs listed here represent the advancement of relatively new methods of attacking cancer, including "armed antibodies" and cancer-killing viruses.

 In addition, decades of basic research into the molecular drivers of cancer growth are bearing fruit for drug developers. Not only are these companies making progress in clinical trials, they have landed buyout deals and lucrative partnerships. It's also clear that relatively small companies like Aveo Pharmaceuticals and Curis are making inroads along side the big boys like Pfizer and Roche.

There are 10 late-stage drugs listed in this report, but this editor hesitates to call them the "Top 10" only because there are so many variables to consider to rank them in such a way objectively. Yet these 10 drugs have certainly been generating news and, in most cases, lots of interest among investors and the medical community. All of the drugs have reached pivotal trials for at least one type of cancer.
Here's the list in alphabetical order by each drug's most commonly used moniker, whether that is its alphanumeric code name or generic name. As always, please let us know whether you think there are cancer drugs in pivotal trials that you think should have been on this list or ones on this list that shouldn't be.

1. Carfilzomib - multiple myeloma
2. Crizotinib (PF-02341066) - lung cancer
3. GDC-0449 (vismodegib) - basal cell carcinoma
4. OncoVex - advanced melanoma
5. PLX4032 (RG7204) - melanoma
6. Ponatinib - leukemia
7. SGN-35 (brentuximab vedotin) - Hodgkin's lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphomas
8. Tivozanib (AV-951) - advanced renal cell carcinoma
9. T-DM1 (Trastuzumab-DM1) - breast cancer
10. XL184 (cabozantinib) -  prostate cancer

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is Making Headlines in Early 2011

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Submits Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) For Ready-to-Use Formulation Of FUSILEV(R) In Colorectal Cancer

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology

Article Date: 06 Jan 2011 - 1:00 PST
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SPPI), a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in oncology, announced it submitted a supplemental New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Ready-to-Use formulation of FUSILEV (levoleucovorin) for Injection. This submission is in support of FUSILEV's use in colorectal cancer, which is currently under review by the FDA with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of April 29 2011. FDA has up to 60 days to formally accept the submission.

"If approved, we believe a RTU formulation of FUSILEV, as the name implies, will be more convenient for the staff and easy to use. RTU formulation requires no reconstitution, and since it will also be of a higher strength than the currently available lyophilized formulation, the healthcare provider's time to administer FUSILEV to colorectal cancer patients will be considerably reduced," said Rajesh C. Shrotriya, MD, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals.   Continued

Roche Touts Drug For ESMO

Roche Drug T-DM1 Outdoes Herceptin With Chemotherapy

By Rob Waters - Oct 8, 2010 3:02 PM ET Tweet (1)LinkedIn Share

Roche Holding AG said its two-drug treatment combining an anticancer agent with Herceptin, the company’s $5.27-billion breast cancer drug, was about as effective as, and caused fewer side effects than, Herceptin with chemotherapy.

The results, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Milan, were the first to measure the effectiveness of Roche’s experimental drug called trastuzumab- DM1 as an initial therapy in patients with a particular subtype of breast cancer. T-DM1 is a member of a new class of experimental drugs called antibody-drug conjugates that combine antibodies and anticancer drugs.

Seattle Genetics Reports Disappointing Phase II Data For AML, and Upcoming Clinical Trial Results for NHL

Wikinvest-Seattle Genetics (SGEN)

Disappointing news reported from Seattle Genetics today. I actually like the stock after the price bottoms out as they are focusing their efforts on Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma drug, brentuximab.  Wait for the massive sell-off in the next week or two and wait for Clinical Trials results to come out in about 6 weeks from Phase II testing for NHL.  I anticipate a massive sell-off in the next couple of days after todays disappointing clinical trials news on a separate medication for AML, acute myeloid leukemia.

KEYWORDS: Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Millenium Pharmaceuticals, Seattle Genetics, AML, Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics, Hodgkin Lymphoma

Seattle Genetics is ditching further development of its clinical-stage acute myeloid leukemia (AML) candidate lintuzumab (SGN-33) after a Phase IIb trial failed to show the drug extended overall survival. The firm says it will now focus on the rest of its clinical pipeline, headed by the Phase III-stage Hodgkin lymphoma drug, brentuximab vedotin, which is being developed in collaboration with Millennium Pharmaceuticals.