Expert opinion on investigational drugs
-
Expert Opin Investig Drugs · Nov 2009
ReviewAntivascular agents for non-small-cell lung cancer: current status and future directions.
Despite improvements in surgery and chemo(radio)therapy which have allowed for modest advances in the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), survival remains poor and further improvements are needed. Attention over recent years has focused, therefore, on targeted therapies, with notable success in the development of antivascular drugs. ⋯ Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), when added to cytotoxic chemotherapy, was the first treatment to prolong the overall survival of patients with advanced NSCLC beyond 12 months, a significant breakthrough in the management of advanced NSCLC. Small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors and alternative antivascular strategies such as VEGF-trap and vascular disrupting agents are also being investigated and have shown promise in clinical trials. This review summarizes the most recent and important findings in antivascular agents in NSCLC.
-
The failure of drug candidates in clinical development remains a critical issue for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. This article documents those oncology drugs discontinued in 2008 and briefly reviews reasons for termination of development. Source information was derived from a search of the Pharmaprojects database for drugs reaching phase I-III clinical trials.