AbbVie starts phase-3 trial of drug for aggressive form of breast cancer

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. – Drug maker AbbVie has started a late-stage clinical trial of an experimental drug for treating triple-negative breast cancer, the company said Wednesday.

AbbVie announced the initiation of a phase-3 trial of ABT-888 (veliparib) as an add-on treatment to the chemotherapy drug carboplatin in women with early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about one-fifth of all breast cancer cases, is a type that can grow in the absence of three receptors that often fuel the growth of breast cancer, namely estrogen, progesterone and large amounts of HER2/neu protein. Because it does not respond to some of the most effective therapies available to treat breast cancer, it tends to be more difficult to treat than other types.

The trial will consist of three parts, one with ABT-888 added to carboplatin, one with carboplatin and placebo and one with a chemotherapy treatment. 

"This new phase-3 trial is an important step in potentially providing women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer with a new treatment option for use in conjunction with surgical therapy," AbbVie VP pharmaceutical development Scott Brun said. "While therapies exist to treat many forms of breast cancer, there is still a significant need for effective, targeted therapies for women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, which tends to be an aggressive, faster-growing form of breast cancer."