DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) ended a Phase III study of an experimental drug, axitinib, aimed at shrinking tumors in people with advanced pancreatic cancer because results showed no improvement in survival rates.

An independent board found no evidence of longer survival in patients treated with axitinib and gemcitabine, compared with gemcitabine alone. Eli Lilly & Co.'s (LLY) chemotherapy drug Gemzar, or gemcitabine, is the current standard of care for patients with the disease.

"These results were disappointing, given the trend towards prolonged survival seen in a Phase II study of axitinib in this extremely difficult-to-treat patient population," said Mace L. Rothenberg of Pfizer's Oncology Business Unit.

Cancer of the pancreas is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, and several attempts by drug companies to improve treatment have failed in recent years.

Rothenberg said Pfizer would continue a Phase III study of axitinib for patients with renal cell carcinoma and Phase II trials in other tumor types, including advanced non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Many die within several months of diagnosis, and only about 4% live for five years, well below the average rate of 64% for all cancers.

Pancreatic cancer has a low survival rate partly because its symptoms, which can include jaundice, often don't show up until the cancer is advanced and untreatable by surgery.

The disease has proven to be resistant to chemotherapy and other drugs, and in the past 20 years, only two treatments have been widely approved, with many other drugs failing in Phase III trials.

Axitinib was designed to block the creation of blood vessels that feed tumors, similar to Genentech Inc.'s (DNA) Avastin, which is used to treat colorectal and lung cancers. Axitinib is a pill taken twice daily, while Avastin is given periodically by intravenous infusion.

Pfizer's shares closed down 3.6% at $14.58 Friday but gained 3 cents in after-hours trading.

-By Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5975; Kathy.Shwiff@dowjones.com

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