Astrazeneca moves ahead with development of Selumetinib

22nd Oct 2013 07:55

Drugs giant AstraZeneca said Tuesday that it had initiated the third phase of its clinical programme for Selumetinib, a treatment which has been formulated for patients with a particular type of lung cancer. The group said the first patient with advanced (or metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer had been selected for the study, which is randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. The study, known as Select-1, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of selumetinib plus docetaxel as a second line therapy as well as progression free survival and overall survival. Select-1 will be the largest prospective study ever conducted in this patient population, a genetic sub-type of lung cancer associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options, AstraZeneca said. The group's Vice President and Head of Oncology, Antoine Yver, explained that it is an area of "pressing clinical need", and that the company's decision to progress selumetinib was based on Phase II results, which showed "promising clinical activity in this group of patients". NR