Synta's ganetespib shows potency against ALK-positive lung cancer and overcomes crizotinib resistance

Ganetespib, a drug under development by USA-based Synta Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SNTA) that indirectly impairs the function of several cancer-driving proteins, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), may be an effective new treatment for patients with ALK--positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The drug may also be effective for treating patients who have become resistant to the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved targeted therapy for this disease, crizotinib (Pfizer’s Xalkori), according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"Lung cancer, a leading cause of death, is no longer thought of as a single disease, but rather as a group of diseases, each with a distinct genetic profile," according to David Proia, associate director of cancer biology at Synta Pharmaceuticals, which funded the research, adding: "This realization has paved the way for the design of new treatments tailored to the specific biological characteristics of a patient's tumor.