Amgen and Onyx to share cancer drug data at ASCO 2014

Amgen and its subsidiary Onyx Pharmaceuticals have confirmed their plans to present at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago this week.

The conference, which runs from May 30th to June 3rd, will provide a showcase of the companies' progress in developing treatments for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers and investigating new uses and areas of interest for their current therapies.

Compounds that will be discussed during ASCO 2014 include the investigational leukaemia drug blinatumomab and the melanoma therapy talimogene laherparepvec, as well as the approved products Vectibix and Xgeva.

In total, results from more than 45 studies in 17 different cancers – including six oral presentations and 25 posters across 11 oncology molecules – will be shared by Amgen and Onyx.

Dr Sean Harper, executive vice-president of research and development at Amgen, said: "Amgen and Onyx continue to be on the cutting edge of research and are constantly looking for innovative approaches to tackle some of the toughest cancers."

This comes after the firm received US regulatory approval for a new colorectal cancer indication for Vectibix last week.