Pfizer Inc. said an experimental drug failed to improve survival in patients with an advanced form of lung cancer that couldn't be treated with surgery, dealing a setback to the closely watched medicine.
Patients given the drug, called sigvotatug vedotin, didn't live significantly longer than those given standard therapy with docetaxel, Pfizer said in a statement. Pfizer got the drug in its $43 billion purchase of Seagen Inc. in late 2023. The company had expected it could be the first of a new class of drugs that deliver potent cancer-killing compounds directly to tumors, called directed antibody-drug conjugates.
Pfizer shares fell about 1.5% in late trading after markets closed in New York.
The drug targets a specific protein called integrin beta-6 that is produced by about 90% of non-small cell lung cancers. Patients with it typically have a poor prognosis.
Barclays analysts said in May that investor expectations for the trial results were low after Pfizer amended the study protocol to focus solely on overall survival instead of other endpoints.
"We are disappointed," Pfizer Chief Oncology Officer Jeff Legos said in an interview. However, he emphasized that this is just one study in a larger development program for the drug and for the company's ambitions in lung cancer. "This isn't the end of the story," he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Pfizer signaled it remains committed to the program. The company highlighted an ongoing late-stage study evaluating sigvotatug vedotin in combination with Merck & Co.'s Keytruda as a first-line treatment for newly diagnosed patients whose tumors are particularly responsive to immunotherapy.
Pfizer executives said data from previous studies support the idea that the drug may work better in earlier stages of treatment and in combination with immunotherapy.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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