Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc (ONXX)

[surf1944]

Bayer stops late-stage Nexavar trial
Monday February 18, 11:04 am ET

(Reuters) - Bayer HealthCare, a U.S.-based unit of Bayer AG (XETRA:BAYG.DE - News), stopped a late-stage trial of Nexavar in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, after an independent data monitoring committee concluded that the study would not meet the main goal of improved overall survival.

In the late-stage study, patients received Nexavar in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel.

Bayer said higher mortality was observed in a certain subset of patients treated with the combination of Nexavar and the chemotherapeutic drugs, versus those treated with carboplatin and paclitaxel alone.

Bayer and co-developer Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc (NasdaqGM:ONXX - News) will review the findings of the analysis to determine what, if any, impact they have on other ongoing Nexavar lung cancer trials.

Nexavar, also known as sorafenib, is approved in the United States and Europe for kidney cancer and liver cancer. The companies are studying the drug for treatment of a broad range of cancers, including breast cancer.

Bayer AG shares were trading down more than 2 percent at 54.36 euros at 1559 GMT. Shares of its co-developer Onyx closed at $44.98 Friday on Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)