Eli Lilly's Alimta Shows Promise in Cancer Study
Eli Lilly's
(LLY) - Get Report
Alimta significantly delays the time it takes for advanced non-small cell lung cancer to progress when given as a maintenance therapy, according to preliminary results of a late-stage study. These results will to be presented in conjunction with the upcoming American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.
The study looks specifically at Lilly's Alimta as a maintenance drug, given to patients three to six weeks after they complete induction chemotherapy. The drug, which competes with
Genentech's
(DNA)
Avastin and Genentech and
OSI Pharmaceutical's
(OSIP)
Tarceva, is already approved as a second-line treatment.
"This is the first study to show that lung cancer patients can benefit from maintenance therapy," said Tudor-Eliade Ciuleanu, associate professor at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania and lead author of the study.
According to the study, progression-free survival (or the time that it takes the tumor to progress) was significantly longer in patients who received Alimta compared to those who received placebo, 4.3 months vs. 2.6 months, respectively.
Overall survival was 13 months for the Alimta group, vs. 10.2 months for the placebo group, but those results weren't statistically significant. However, final data from this trial aren't expected for another six to 12 months.
In a conference call Friday morning, Bear Stearns analyst Mark Schoenebaum noted that he would be surprised if the final data weren't statistically significant, because at this point only half of the patients have died so the study has little powering at this point.
The incidence and severity of side effects between the Alimta arm and placebo were generally similar, according to an ASCO release. The most significant side effect, moderate to severe anemia, occurred in 4.5% of the Alimta group, vs. 1.4% of the placebo group.
"The fact that this approach significantly increases the amount of time that patients have before their cancer progresses, without increasing additional side effects, is particularly significant," said study author Ciuleanu.
The results underscore the strength of Alimta in non-small-cell lung cancer and probably raise the bar for Tarceva to become part of the first line maintenance setting, according to Bear Stearns' Schoenebaum.
Alimta performed the best in adenocarcinoma and non-squamous cancer. One place Alimta isn't showing results is in squamous cell cancer, one of the most common types of lung cancer.
Lilly's shares were trading roughly flat at $48.63. Genentech added 1.6% to $69.96, but its Tarceva partner OSI Pharmaceuticals gave 2.1% to $35.13 in morning trading.
Genentech got its lift today from its own
research abstract
.
ASCO last night released thousands of research abstracts on its Web site,
. For a useful guide on searching through the abstracts, check out
Adam Feuerstein's ASCO Abstract Preview
.









