The randomized, controlled clinical trial, which has enrolled more than 460 patients in Europe, Australia and Canada, is evaluating best supportive care plus panitumumab monotherapy administered every other week, versus best supportive care alone, in patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer who have failed previous therapies.
Abgenix hopes to include results from the study as part of a potential biologics license application (BLA) later this year.
“We are delighted Amgen has completed enrollment in this rigorously designed clinical trial, and await the study findings on the safety and efficacy of panitumumab in patients with advanced colorectal cancer,” said Dr Gisela Schwab, chief medical officer at Abgenix. “We look forward to the continued development of panitumumab and are working with Amgen to bring this potential new therapy to patients with advanced colorectal cancer.”
Panitumumab is an investigational product in a new class of targeted cancer treatments called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) inhibitors. It is the first fully human monoclonal antibody directed against EGFr and is being evaluated as both a monotherapy and in combination with other agents for the treatment of various types of cancer, including colorectal, lung and kidney.