Highlights of presentations planned for ASCO meeting

Ahead of the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting which takes place in Chicago June 1-5, Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN), the world’s largest independent biotech company reported results from an exploratory biomarker analysis on a previously reported Phase II study showing that rilotumumab + chemotherapy improved median overall survival in metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal cancer patients (OS from 5.7 months to 11.1 months; HR=1.84, 95% CI; 0.78 - 4.34), whose tumors exhibited high MET protein expression.

Amgen will also report results from a Phase II study showing that treatment with blinatumomab (AMG 103) achieved a high-rate of complete response in 72% of adult patients with refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. No new treatment related deaths or serious adverse events were reported in the study.

German drug major Bayer (BAYN: DE) said it will present new data at the ACO meeting on its oncology compounds. Key highlights will include initial findings from P3 study of Regorafenib in GIST; survival results from Phase III study of radium-223 in castration-resistant prostate cancer; Phase II data for BAY 86-9766 + sorafenib in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.