BioCentury
ARTICLE | Clinical News

Array's selumetinib meets in Phase II ocular melanoma

June 4, 2013 2:56 AM UTC

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center presented data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting showing that oral selumetinib from Array BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:ARRY) met the primary endpoint of improving median progression-free survival (PFS) vs. temozolomide in a 98-patient Phase II trial to treat ocular melanoma (15.9 vs. 7 weeks, p=0.0005). Selumetinib ( AZD6244, ARRY-886) missed the secondary endpoint of improving median overall survival (OS) vs. temozolomide (10.8 vs. 9.4 weeks, p=0.4). The researchers plan to conduct a confirmatory trial in about 100 patients, but did not disclose details.

AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) has rights to selumetinib for cancer indications from Array. In October, AstraZeneca plans to start a Phase III trial of the small molecule MEK inhibitor plus docetaxel as second-line therapy for patients with K-Ras (KRAS) mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Selumetinib also is in the Phase II ASTRA trial to treat thyroid cancer. ...