After undergoing a series of clinical tests, Pfizer's latest breast cancer drug's third and last trial has been stopped due to its promising effect on cancer cells, the company announced Wednesday.
Ibrance, its breast cancer drug, has exceeded the expectations of doctors in patients who were treated with estrogen-blocking drugs.
Paloma 3, the name of the third trial, was no longer continued after findings showed how effective this drug is on breast cancer patients. According to the Standard Daily, the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved this medicine for patients who have not yet enrolled in advanced disease treatment and the trial was fastened and accelerated due to its promising results as it delayed the progression of the disease than other medicines like Femara.
J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott wrote in the research that the successful results of the trial would increase the demand for the approved medicine, as it is very effective in delaying the disease process of breast cancer in patients, Reuters reported.
Breast cancer is one of the top diagnosed cancers in women in the United States. In fact, according to Breast Cancer Organization, about 40,000 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer and in 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S.
"The results of this trial are especially important because they help us understand the potential of IBRANCE to improve outcomes in patients with this difficult to treat cancer. We're gratified to be able to stop the trial early and are engaging in discussions with health authorities regarding a regulatory path forward," Dr. Mace Rothenberg, senior vice president of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs and chief medical officer for Pfizer Oncology said in Pfizer's press release.
Ibrance was approved by the FDA on February 2015 and due to its good performance in clinical trials, they are hoping that this medicine can be made available to patients in the near future.