ONXX has good news out this morning & should run.
WEST HAVEN, Conn., and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NYSE: BAY - News) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX - News) today announced that an independent data monitoring committee (DMC) has reviewed the safety and efficacy data from the companies' pivotal Phase 3 trial in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer. Based on this planned interim analysis, the DMC has concluded that the trial met its primary endpoint resulting in superior overall survival (OS) in those patients receiving Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets versus those patients receiving placebo. The DMC also noted that there was no demonstrated difference in serious adverse event rates between the two treatment arms (Nexavar and placebo). Based on these conclusions, the DMC recommended that the trial be stopped early.
As a result of this recommendation, Bayer and Onyx will stop the trial and allow all patients enrolled in this trial access to Nexavar. Given that there are limited approved systemic therapies for this disease, the companies will continue discussions with health authorities worldwide, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European health authorities regarding the next steps in filing for approval for the treatment of HCC. Following these discussions, the companies will proceed to file as rapidly as possible. The two companies also reported that they plan to submit the results from the trial to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for presentation at its annual meeting, June 1-5, 2007.
"The observed superiority in overall survival for Nexavar-treated patients over patients receiving placebo demonstrates the efficacy of Nexavar in advanced primary liver cancer," said Dr. Jordi Bruix, co-principal investigator and Head of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.
Dr. Josep M. Llovet, co-principal investigator and Associate Professor of Medicine/Director, HCC Research Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Professor of Research at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona added, "These results point to new potential treatment options for those patients suffering from this devastating disease."
WEST HAVEN, Conn., and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NYSE: BAY - News) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX - News) today announced that an independent data monitoring committee (DMC) has reviewed the safety and efficacy data from the companies' pivotal Phase 3 trial in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer. Based on this planned interim analysis, the DMC has concluded that the trial met its primary endpoint resulting in superior overall survival (OS) in those patients receiving Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets versus those patients receiving placebo. The DMC also noted that there was no demonstrated difference in serious adverse event rates between the two treatment arms (Nexavar and placebo). Based on these conclusions, the DMC recommended that the trial be stopped early.
As a result of this recommendation, Bayer and Onyx will stop the trial and allow all patients enrolled in this trial access to Nexavar. Given that there are limited approved systemic therapies for this disease, the companies will continue discussions with health authorities worldwide, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European health authorities regarding the next steps in filing for approval for the treatment of HCC. Following these discussions, the companies will proceed to file as rapidly as possible. The two companies also reported that they plan to submit the results from the trial to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for presentation at its annual meeting, June 1-5, 2007.
"The observed superiority in overall survival for Nexavar-treated patients over patients receiving placebo demonstrates the efficacy of Nexavar in advanced primary liver cancer," said Dr. Jordi Bruix, co-principal investigator and Head of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.
Dr. Josep M. Llovet, co-principal investigator and Associate Professor of Medicine/Director, HCC Research Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Professor of Research at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona added, "These results point to new potential treatment options for those patients suffering from this devastating disease."
WEST HAVEN, Conn., and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NYSE: BAY - News) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX - News) today announced that an independent data monitoring committee (DMC) has reviewed the safety and efficacy data from the companies' pivotal Phase 3 trial in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer. Based on this planned interim analysis, the DMC has concluded that the trial met its primary endpoint resulting in superior overall survival (OS) in those patients receiving Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets versus those patients receiving placebo. The DMC also noted that there was no demonstrated difference in serious adverse event rates between the two treatment arms (Nexavar and placebo). Based on these conclusions, the DMC recommended that the trial be stopped early.
As a result of this recommendation, Bayer and Onyx will stop the trial and allow all patients enrolled in this trial access to Nexavar. Given that there are limited approved systemic therapies for this disease, the companies will continue discussions with health authorities worldwide, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European health authorities regarding the next steps in filing for approval for the treatment of HCC. Following these discussions, the companies will proceed to file as rapidly as possible. The two companies also reported that they plan to submit the results from the trial to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for presentation at its annual meeting, June 1-5, 2007.
"The observed superiority in overall survival for Nexavar-treated patients over patients receiving placebo demonstrates the efficacy of Nexavar in advanced primary liver cancer," said Dr. Jordi Bruix, co-principal investigator and Head of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.
Dr. Josep M. Llovet, co-principal investigator and Associate Professor of Medicine/Director, HCC Research Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Professor of Research at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona added, "These results point to new potential treatment options for those patients suffering from this devastating disease."
About the SHARP Trial
This analysis was conducted using data from the Sorafenib HCC Assessment Randomized Protocol (SHARP) Trial, an international Phase 3 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate Nexavar in patients with advanced HCC, or primary liver cancer, who had no prior systemic therapy. Six hundred and two patients were randomized and enrolled at sites in the Americas, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand. The primary objectives of the study are to compare OS and time to symptom progression (TTSP) in patients administered Nexavar versus those patients administered placebo.
About Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma, also known as primary liver cancer, is the most common form of liver cancer and is responsible for about 90 percent of the primary malignant liver tumors in adults. It is the fifth most common cancer in the world.
About Nexavar
Nexavar is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor that targets both the tumor cell and tumor vasculature. In preclinical models, Nexavar targeted members of two classes of kinases known to be involved in both cell proliferation (growth) and angiogenesis (blood supply) -- two important processes that enable cancer growth. These kinases included RAF kinase, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, PDGFR-B, KIT, FLT-3 and RET. Preclinical models have also demonstrated that Raf/MEK/ERK has a role in HCC, therefore blocking signaling through Raf-1 may offer therapeutic benefits in HCC.
Nexavar is currently approved in nearly 50 countries, including the United States and in the European Union, for the treatment of patients with advanced kidney cancer. In addition, Nexavar is being evaluated by the companies, international study groups, government agencies or individual investigators as a single agent or combination treatment in a wide range of cancers, including adjuvant RCC, advanced liver cancer, metastatic melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer.
Important Safety Considerations for U.S. Patients Taking Nexavar
Based on the currently approved package insert for the treatment of patients with advanced kidney cancer, hypertension may occur early in the course of therapy and blood pressure should be monitored weekly during the first six weeks of therapy and treated as needed. Incidence of bleeding regardless of causality was 15% for Nexavar vs. 8% for placebo and the incidence of treatment-emergent cardiac ischemia/infarction was 2.9% for Nexavar vs. 0.4% for placebo. Most common treatment-emergent adverse events with Nexavar were diarrhea, rash/desquamation, fatigue, hand-foot skin reaction, alopecia, and nausea. Grade 3/4 adverse events were 38% for Nexavar vs. 28% for placebo. Women of child-bearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant and advised against breast-feeding. In cases of any severe or persistent side effects, temporary treatment interruption, dose modification or permanent discontinuation should be considered.
