Seattle Genetics ends vadastuximab trial on safety signal

Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) discontinued the Phase III CASCADE trial of vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A) to treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) after an independent DMC’s analysis showed a higher rate of deaths, including fatal infections, in patients treated with vadastuximab vs. the control arm. The company plans to discuss next steps with FDA.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared vadastuximab plus a hypomethylating agent (HMA) vs. an HMA alone in about 500 older patients with newly diagnosed AML...