Efforts of Amgen Inc. in expanding its presence in the field of oncology drugs has received a setback when they were forced to suspend motesanib, which was released on a trial basis after the death of a few patients.
One of the biotechnology companies Amgen, which posts maximum sales along with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. from Japan were involved in the testing of this drug which was to be used along with chemotherapy to treat lung cancer of the non-small cell type according to the companies.
About 600 patients on whom the drug was tested were reviewed by a committee, which monitored independently. A spokeswoman from Amgen Christian Regan said in a telephone interview that mortality rate was found to be higher among patients using this drug when compared to the patients who were on a placebo.
Amgen has tried to push aggressively in the past seven years to make a presence in the oncology medicines. Based in Thousand Oaks, California, Amgen now has at least eight medicines in the final clinical trial stages and waiting for approval from the US regulatory. The company also has around eight therapies now in the initial stages.
The drug, which was in the last three stages of human testing, was just a step away from US regulatory approval and this is a big disappointment for Amgen. According to an analyst Christopher James from Rodman & Renshaw, New York this drug was expected to be a forerunner for Amgen to a major growth in the oncology drug sector.
