Phase 3 Studies of Lilly's CYRAMZA (ramucirumab): Significant Improvement in NSCLC Survival

Eli Lilly and Company today announced detailed results from REVEL, a global Phase III study of CYRAMZA™ (ramucirumab) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with second-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data from the trial were published today in The Lancet and also presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract #LBA8006). REVEL is the first positive Phase III study of a biologic in combination with chemotherapy to demonstrate improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in second-line NSCLC.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and most other countries, and non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 85 percent of all lung cancer cases. It is estimated that approximately half of NSCLC patients are receiving treatment in the second-line setting. Despite currently available therapies, there continues to be a need for new second-line treatment options for patients with NSCLC.

"While there have been other recent Phase III studies that have evaluated the addition of a cytotoxic or targeted agent in previously-treated NSCLC patient populations, none have demonstrated improved overall survival in the total patient population," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., senior vice president, product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology. "We are pleased that CYRAMZA demonstrated a significant survival improvement in a difficult-to-treat patient population where there continues to be a major unmet medical need in both nonsquamous and squamous NSCLC patients. These data build on Lilly's continued commitment to discovering potential new treatment options for the large numbers of people fighting lung cancer. They also add to our growing clinical data set for CYRAMZA, which is being studied in multiple tumor types."

Original report: http://on.mktw.net/1rM1u1l

Source: MarketWatch