Pfizer to present clinical data on customised treatment approaches for cancer

These data will be presented later this month at the 45th Annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Orlando from 29 May - 2 June 2009.

“Pfizer Oncology is building upon the foundation of our marketed agents Sutent, Camptosar, and Aromasin. Our research is focused on bridging new insights into cellular targets and causative pathways with therapies designed to inhibit those processes. In this way, we hope to bring the right drug to the right patient at the right time. Presentations made at this year's ASCO meeting will demonstrate the progress that we are making towards that goal,” said Dr. Mace Rothenberg, senior vice president of clinical development and medical affairs for Pfizer's Oncology Business Unit.

Pfizer will present data evaluating PF-002341066 (Abstract #3509; May 30), an investigational oral medicine that is a dual inhibitor of mesenchymal epithelial transition growth factor (c-Met), a receptor commonly altered in human cancers across a variety of solid tumor types, and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). Results from an expansion cohort of a Phase 1 study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), carrying ALK fusion genes, will be presented. ALK fusion genes have a unique genetic feature, including the echinoderm microtubule-associate protein-like 4 (EML4)-ALK translocation. PF-002341066 is the first agent in clinical development that selectively targets this unique genetic feature present in some NSCLC patients.

Pfizer will also present data (Abstract #8072; May 30) from a Phase 2 study of figitumumab (CP-751,871), an investigational fully-human monoclonal antibody against the Insulin-like Growth Factor type 1 receptor (IGF-1R), in squamous cell lung cancer, which accounts for approximately 25 to 30 percent of all NSCLC cases. The IGF-1R pathway is thought to be one of the fundamental signaling pathways that leads to uncontrolled growth and survival of tumor cells and may represent an important resistance mechanism against epidermal growth factor (EGFR) inhibitors.

Prognostic and predictive factors

Additional Pfizer data will focus on prognostic and predictive factors which may help identify sub-groups of patients who may be most likely to benefit from various treatments.

Prognostic factors for overall survival among patients with first-line metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with Sutent(sunitinib malate) (Abstract #5042; May 29)
Diastolic blood pressure and pharmacokinetics as possible predictors of activity in mRCC patients treated with axitinib, an investigational agent (Abstract #5045; May 29)
Phase 1b/2 study results evaluating serum markers of the IGF-1R pathway inhibition in NSCLC patients treated with figitumumab plus paclitaxel and carboplatin (Abstract #3539; May 29)