November 18, 2014
By Krystle Vermes, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
As biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca looks to move on from a $118 billion bid from Pfizer , the company debuted a strong portfolio today that included new cancer drugs, according to Reuters.
AstraZeneca will likely face some challenges in the coming years as patents on some of its big drugs expire. However, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot told Reuters that he will continue to seek partnerships to advance AstraZeneca and continue its success.
Pfizer made a $118 billion bid for the firm last May, which AstraZeneca has been able to fight off thus far. But the “cooling off” period required under British takeover rules is, set to expire within days, which could allow Pfizer to continue its pursuit of the biopharmaceutical company.
However, top 20 shareholder Neil Woodford told Reuters that there is only a 50/50 chance of Pfizer going after AstraZeneca again in the future. AstraZeneca has proven itself with a robust pipeline, which outshines Pfizer’s current offerings, he said.
The biopharmaceutical company is also working to hard to bring its lung cancer drug AZD9291 to market before competitor Clovis Oncology, Inc. releases a similar product. AstraZeneca hopes to file for U.S. approval in the second quarter of 2015.
The Progress of AZD9291
Thus far, AZD9291 has shown progress, although it is still considered to be an immature drug. Study results presented at the ESMO 2014 Congress event showed that AZD9291 showed median progression free survival of 9.6 months in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive T790M+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
“We are optimistic and encouraged by the rates of progression free survival and duration of response results in patients treated with AZD9291,” said James Chih-Hsin Yang, professor of Graduate Institute of Oncology and Director of Cancer Research Center at National Taiwan University College of Medicine. “While the data are still immature, they are based on robust patient numbers and this give us confidence that this is a trend that will continue. To date, the longest duration of response is still ongoing at more than 11 months.”
The most common adverse effects reported within patients who received the treatment were diarrhea and rash. The study of AZD9291, named AURA, is a Phase I/II study that is still ongoing. As of August 1 of this year, 253 patients had received a dose of the drug for study purposes.
