Pharmacia Ends Trial of Colorectal Cancer Drug SU5416

Pharmacia Corporation announced it was ending a phase III clinical trial of the colorectal cancer drug SU5416 after concluding the therapy was not effective.

SU5416 was one of a new class of cancer drugs known as angiogenesis inhibitors, which attempt to stop the supply of essential blood to tumors.

"We remain confident in the potential of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF-R) target and anti-angiogenic therapy for the treatment of cancer," said Laura K. Shawver, president of the Pharmacia subsidiary SUGEN.

"Angiogenesis inhibitors remain a promising new way to attack cancer," said Dr. Lee Rosen of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, lead investigator of the study. "It is critical to recognize that the results of these SU5416 clinical trials do not invalidate the VEGF-R target or the entire angiogenesis field. Instead, we will take what we have learned from SU5416 in order to develop the next generation of compounds and studies."

Other Sources: Pharmacia