Boehringer Ingelheim advances cancer drug to Phase III studies

The two studies, known as Lume-Lung 1 and Lume-Lung 2, for Vargatef, a triple angiokinase inhibitor, will evaluate the molecule as a second-line therapy in combination with standard chemotherapy agents in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a patient population with limited treatment choices.

The decision to progress this molecule into Phase III trials in NSCLC was based on Phase I and II results which showed the agent to be both efficacious and well tolerated when administered as both monotherapy and in combination.

In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim’s advanced compound Tovok (BIBW 2992) will soon enter its second pivotal trial, Lux-Lung 3 in first-line NSCLC. Furthermore, a new compound and potentially first-in class-molecule, polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) inhibitor, BI 6727, has demonstrated such positive Phase I results that it will be progressed to Phase II, the company said.

Manfred Haehl, corporate senior vice president of medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “The commencement of our second pivotal Phase III trial program within the oncology portfolio, a potential first-in-class within our cell cycle kinase family and an additional Phase III trial planned for Tovok (BIBW 2992) reinforce the fact that our pipeline continues to move closer to our goal – to develop innovative treatment options that we hope will ultimately offer patients with cancer better treatment options.”