Pfizer discontinues clinical trials for cancer treatment

Pfizer has said that it has discontinued clinical trials for the investigational compound PF-3512676, which was being combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy as a potential treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

An interim analysis carried out by the Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) found there was no evidence of clinical efficacy when the compound was used in addition to chemotherapy, with the risk-benefit profile not believed to justify continuation.

“While these results show the challenge of bringing new therapies to patients with cancer, Pfizer remains committed to advancing our broad and diverse oncology programmes which include over two hundred clinical trials of sixteen new medicines in clinical studies in immunotherapy, signal transduction inhibition and angiogenesis inhibition,” said Dr Charles Baum, Vice-president of Pfizer’s research and development.

The termination of the trials, which included both phase II and phase III trials, sees the end of the development programme for the compound, which was licensed from Coley Pharmaceutical Group in 2005.

Pfizer has said that it agrees with the decision reached by the DSMC about a lack of justification to continue the trials.

The company was founded in 1849, when Charles Pfizer & Company opened as a fine-chemicals business.