Schering initiates phase II lung cancer study

The trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of PTK/ZK (PTK787/ZK 222584) as a second-line monotherapy in patients with stage IIIb/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The trial, known as GOAL, will be conducted in France and Germany at five different sites. It will include patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who have relapsed or are refractory to first-line therapy.

PTK/ZK is a novel, oral angiogenesis inhibitor designed to target the tumor blood vessels and potentially lymphatic vessels, thus slowing tumor growth and spread. It has the potential to be an effective angiogenesis inhibitor by blocking all known VEGF receptors and is currently being co-developed by Schering and Novartis in two clinical phase III studies in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

“Recent scientific evidence suggests that angiogenesis inhibition may be a new treatment approach for non-small cell lung cancer,” said Marc Rubin, MD, member of the executive board of Schering AG, responsible for development and oncology. “Schering is committed to exploring the full potential of PTK/ZK beyond the currently pursued indication of metastatic colorectal cancer and to identifying those cancer patients who will most likely benefit from anti-angiogenesis treatment with PTK/ZK.”