Amgen reports positive metastatic melanoma drug trial data

Amgen has announced positive findings from a pivotal phase III trial illustrating the benefits offered by its new melanoma drug talimogene laherparepvec.

Detailed results from the new study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting to show how the drug can offer advantages in treating unresected stage IIIB, IIIC or IV metastatic melanoma.

The trial met its primary endpoint by showing that Amgen's drug delivered a significant improvement in durable response rates compared to those receiving granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor treatment.

Currently, there is a pressing need for new therapy options for metastatic melanoma, incidence rates of which have increased by more than 200 percent in the last three decades.

Dr Sean Harper, executive vice-president of research and development at Amgen, said: "We are pleased with the results of this pivotal phase III trial for talimogene laherparepvec and we look forward to the mature overall survival data later this year."

Amgen also presented new data on Vectibix and blinatumomab at ASCO 2013, which took place in Chicago earlier this week.