Lilly’s Cyramza shows promise in hepatocellular carcinoma trial

Lilly has announced the publication of encouraging findings from the phase III REACH trial, which evaluated the drug Cyramza as a second-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results published in The Lancet Oncology demonstrated encouraging single-agent Cyramza activity, with meaningful improvements in key secondary endpoints as well as within certain patient subgroups.

The REACH trial's primary endpoint of overall survival favored the Cyramza arm, but the trend was not shown to be statistically significant. Nevertheless, Lilly believes the overall findings still offer encouragement over the drug's potential.

Cyramza has been granted orphan drug designation for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in both the US and EU, due to its ability to address an unmet medical need.

Dr Richard Gaynor, senior vice-president of product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology, said: "We are encouraged by the efficacy seen overall in the REACH study, especially in specific subpopulations, and we hope to confirm those results with the new Cyramza phase III trial."

Cancer research is a key focus area for Lilly, leading the company to announce new oncology collaborations with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Sarah Cannon Research Institute last week.