Amgen scores with cancer drug, says Zacks analysts

After the close of market on August 6, US biotechnology major Amgen announced that the longevity of colon cancer patients improved significantly when treated with a combination of its cancer drug Vectibix (panitumab) and Folfox - a standard chemotherapy drug regimen rather than with chemotherapy alone. The company intends to present detailed results of the trial later this year, note analysts at USA-based Zacks Investment Research.

The results are based on a late-stage trial (n=1183) and are applicable to patients with the normal version of a gene known as KRAS. 90% of the patients were identified with KRAS mutations that are associated with more aggressive cancers and lower survival rates.

Skin toxicity coupled with low magnesium blood levels and diarrhea were the side-effects of the study which tests Vectibix as a primary (first-line) treatment for the disease. Currently, the drug can be marketed only for colon cancer patients who have unsuccessfully used two other therapies.