Pfizer's breast cancer drug Ibrance shows favorable clinical trial after facing delays due to efficacy issues.
Ibrance is also well-known as palbociclib and it is currently undergoing phase three study, which is called PALOMA-3 trial. The clinical trials have shown significant improvements in Progression-Free Survival, or PFS.
"The results of this trial are especially important because they help us understand the potential of IBRANCE to improve outcomes in patients with this difficult to treat cancer. We're gratified to be able to stop the trial early and are engaging in discussions with health authorities regarding a regulatory path forward," says Dr. Mace Rothenberg, the chief medical officer and senior vice president of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs of Pfizer Oncology.
The researchers suggest that Ibrance was combined with fulvestrant or Faslodex, which is made by AstraZeneca Plc that is used for blocking estrogen. The clinical trials were promising as patients taking the combination of drugs showed better results in comparison to patients who took just fulvestrant.
The study also found that Ibrance was far more effective in delaying breast cancer progression in comparison to Novartis Ag Femara.
Pfizer is now waiting for an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell a new drug for treating breast cancer.
Market experts believe that the successful clinical trial of Ibrance will result in huge sales once available. Experts suggest that the drug-maker is estimated to make $5 billion with the launch of its new drug for treating breast cancer.
The successful clinical trial also affected the company's share price. Pfizer's share price jumped up about 1 percent and reached $35.34 at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, April 15.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in American women. It is the leading cause of death due to cancer in Hispanic women and the second the second most common cause of death due to cancer in White women.
The American Cancer Society estimates that around 231,840 new invasive breast cancer cases in women will be diagnosed in 2015. Breast cancer is also estimated to result in the deaths of more than 40,000 American women in 2015.
Pfizer's new breast cancer drug will help in the treatment of thousands of patients and also save the lives of many more patients suffering with breast cancer.
Photo: James Palinsad | Flickr
