Amgen drug trial ‘will resume’

Amgen has revealed a study of its drug motesanib will continue.

Named Monet1, the phase III trial is evaluating the effectiveness of the drug when it is used in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

The product – co-developed by Amgen, Millennium and Takeda – has been given the go-ahead by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) to be given to patients who have non-squamous cell histology, following a three-month enrolment suspension.

Roger Perlmutter, executive vice-president of research and development at Amgen, said the organisation endorsed the recommendation by the DMC.

He added: “This decision gives us confidence we have selected the right patient population to explore the clinical potential of motesanib in non-small cell lung cancer.”

In December last year, Amgen’s Nplate (romiplostim) treatment was found in an open-label extension study to increase and sustain platelet counts in adults suffering from chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura.