ArQule's tivantinib in HCC not affected by MetMab's fall, say analysts

Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) recent decision to stop the Phase III METLung trial, which tested MetMab, an anti-Met antibody, for second-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; The Pharma Letter March 3), suggests that USA-based drug developer ArQule’s (Nasdaq: ARQL) tivantinib’s comeback to this indication is less likely.

However, say analysts at Edison Equity Research, it should have no ramifications on the drug’s development status in second-line hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for which two Phase III trials are ongoing. ArQule ended 2013 with cash and marketable securities of $95.1 million, enough to support the company’s operation beyond 2015.

Roche’s decision to move onartuzumab into the Phase III METLung trial was a risky one, in the analysts’ opinion, because the combination of onartuzumab and Tarceva showed only a numerical but not statistical progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) benefit in c-Met positive (Met+) Patients in a Phase II trial.