Novartis drug Zykadia gets positive trial results
ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis cancer drug Zykadia showed positive results in a phase III clinical trial in treating patients with a form of lung cancer, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday.
Zykadia, whose generic name is ceritinib, displayed significant improvement in progression-free survival compared to standard chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer, it said.
Zykadia is an oral, selective inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, a gene that can fuse with others to form an abnormal "fusion protein" that promotes tumors. It has been approved in 55 countries and generated second-quarter sales of $24 million.
(Reporting by Michael Shields)
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