Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals say Nexavar does not meet study goal as a lung cancer treatment

Onyx, Bayer say Nexavar fails in lung cancer study

NEW YORK — Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday their cancer treatment Nexavar failed to boost survival in a clinical study involving patients with a certain type of advanced lung cancer.

Nexavar, which is on the market as a treatment for liver cancer and kidney cancer, did not meet its main goal of improving suvival in the late-stage trial. The study compared Nexavar and standard treatments against standard treatments and a placebo. The patients had a type of lung cancer called non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Onyx and Bayer said patients treated with Nexavar did live longer before their cancer began to progress again, however. The companies say they will review data from the study to determine if the results affect their views on future trials.

Dr. Dimitris Voliotis, vice president of global clinical development oncology at Bayer HealthCare, said the companies are “disappointed” with the results, but based on data from other studies believe it’s important to continue evaluating Nexavar in lung cancer patients.

The companies are also testing Nexavar as a treatment for cancers of the thyroid, breast, ovaries and colon.

In morning trading, Onyx shares rose $1.12, or 4.9 percent, to $23.95.