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Bayer and Onyx hail 'landmark' liver cancer data

24 Jul 2008

Bayer Healthcare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have greeted "landmark" data from a study looking into the effects of their drug Nexavar in liver cancer.

The companies said the phase-three study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that Nexavar tablets decreased the absolute risk of death by 31 per cent in patients with the disease when compared with a placebo.

Median overall survival was 10.7 months for patients treated with the drug, as opposed to 7.9 months for those patients in the placebo group, the firms added.

Co-principal investigator Jordi Bruix pointed out that there is an increasing number of deaths linked to liver cancer around the world.

He continued: "We are encouraged that there is a new treatment option available for liver cancer that has clearly demonstrated a survival benefit in this patient population."

Bayer recently revealed it is to acquire the haemophilia programme assets of biopharmaceutical firm Maxygen.

The deal involves an upfront payment of $90 million (£45 million), with an additionally milestone payment potentially worth $30 million.