Pfizer abandons Sutent trial

NEW YORK Pfizer has halted a late-stage trial of a drug therapy in men with prostate cancer, the drug maker said.

Pfizer announced the discontinuation of “SUN 1120,” a phase-3 trial of Sutent (sunitinib malate) combined with the generic drug prednisone in men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer that had progressed despite chemotherapy. An analysis of data from the trial found that the men were not more likely to improve overall survival when taking the two drugs together than when they took prednisone alone.

“This planned interim analysis helped us determine that the combination of sunitinib with prednisone would not ultimately improve the overall survival of men with advanced-stage, castration-resistant prostate cancer,” Pfizer oncology business unit SVP clinical development and medical affairs Mace Rothenberg said. “There is a great need for better therapies for prostate cancer, and we are committed to working with basic scientists and clinical researchers to identify more effective treatments for this disease.”