Merck Serono’s Erbitux shows survival benefits in new study

Merck Serono has published new analysis of clinical trial data for its cancer treatment Erbitux, showing its efficacy in prolonging survival among users.

A retrospective analysis of the Crystal study has examined the advantages offered by the therapy in combination with a standard Folfiri chemotherapy regimen among metastatic colorectal cancer patients with KRAS wild-type tumours.

It found that Erbitux was able to improve overall survival rates by an average of 5.1 months compared to chemotherapy alone, benefiting even those patients with advanced metastatic disease that has spread beyond the liver.

Dr Wolfgang Wein, executive vice-president for oncology at Merck Serono, said: "In the palliation of patients where the tumour has spread beyond the liver, prolonged survival is essential."

The study also showed that Merck Serono's drug can improve a patient's ability to undergo potentially curative surgery.

Earlier this year, the company submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency to extend the authorised application of Erbitux to include non-small cell lung cancer patients.