Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Boehringer Ingelheim has unveiled data from two different Phase III clinical trials, involving oncology compounds afatinib and nintedanib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The LUX-Lung 6 trial has shown that patients with epidermal epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB1) mutation-positive advanced NSCLC treated first-line with afatinib lived for almost a year before the tumour started to grow again (progression-free survival, or PFS) compared with just under half a year for patients treated with chemotherapy.
Additionally, 47% of afatinib treated patients are alive and progression free after one year of treatment compared to only 2% on chemotherapy.
The delay in tumour growth in this trial compares with data from the registration trial LUX-Lung 3.
The second tiral, the LUME-Lung 2, assessed the triple angiokinase inhibitor nintedanib in combination with chemotherapy pemetrexed in patients with advanced NSCLC after initial chemotherapy has failed.
The trial, which did not succeed the pre-defined interim analysis from external independent experts, was prematurely halted.
The final results, however, showed an improvement of the primary endpoint, centrally assessed PFS.
Both afatinib and nintedanib have improved PFS, the primary study endpoints, in their respective study populations.
University of Manchester Christie Hospital medical oncology professor Nick Thatcher said that NSCLC is a complex disease with a high mortality rate and an area of oncology where advancements are necessary to improve outcomes for patients.
"The positive findings from these Phase III trials demonstrate the importance of exploring new treatment approaches tailored for the various NSCLC populations," Thatcher added.