AbbVie announces phase III trial of lung cancer drug

AbbVie has announced the commencement of a new phase III clinical trial of a promising therapy for advanced lung cancer.

The global study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational compound veliparib in patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

It will compare patients randomised to receive either the standard chemotherapies of carboplatin and paclitaxel with the addition of veliparib versus subjects receiving carboplatin and paclitaxel plus placebo.

The trial will recruit approximately 900 patients, with overall survival identified as the primary efficacy endpoint.

Dr Scott Brun, vice-president for pharmaceutical development at AbbVie, said: "This phase III trial is an important step in the development of veliparib and in potentially providing patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer with a new treatment option."

This comes after the company published positive data from a phase III trial of its new treatment for chronic hepatitis C last month.