Pfizer Discontinues Lung Cancer Drug

Pfizer has discontinued a development program for PF-3512676, an investigational compound, in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy in lung cancer. The program includes two Phase III trials and two Phase II trials. Pfizer licensed the compound from Coley Pharmaceutical Group in 2005. Rights to the drug have reverted to Coley.

Interim analysis of the Phase III trials by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) showed that PF-3512676 did not produce additional clinical efficacy over the standard cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen alone. The DSMC concluded that the risk-benefit profile did not justify continuation of the trials. Pfizer agrees with the findings of the DSMC and is discontinuing the related trials.

“We are communicating these results to patients and the scientific and medical community,” said Dr. Charles Baum, vice president of Pfizer’s R&D. “While these results show the challenge of bringing new therapies to patients with cancer, Pfizer remains committed to advancing our broad and diverse oncology programs which include over two hundred clinical trials of sixteen new medicines in clinical studies in immunotherapy, signal transduction inhibition and angiogenesis inhibition.”