Abstract
Introduction
Drug companies' cancer pipelines are bulging, and hundreds of new drugs are in
development-the modern equivalent of a gold rush. Remarkable successes have
been recorded with targeted oncology, but the treatment of more than 200 types
of cancer remains a daunting task. Today' s three principal modalities of
cancer treatment-surgery, radiotherapy, drug treatment-have begun to give way
to new targeted techniques. Genentech/Roche/Chugai' s Herceptin and ten other
blockbuster “targeted” therapies have shown that drugs designed to
interact with specifi c molecular targets can hit cancer where it hurts.
However, targeted therapies are no panacea; to continue advancing cancer
treatment, investigators must continue to improve their understanding of
specifi c drug targets and continue to explore gene regulation and protein
networks, to which targeted oncology therapies owe their existence.
Get the Answers You Need to Shape Your Strategy
- In 2007, there were 11 highly successful targeted cancer blockbusters.
Which drugs were they, and which blockbusters also carried a strong warning
label: namely, the dreaded “black box” authorized by the FDA?
- Amgen recently suffered several setbacks, including unfavorable trial
results from a Phase III trial of Vectibix in fi rst-line, metastatic
colorectal cancer. But Amgen still has upward of 60 ongoing development
programs. Why is this company still in need of a more vibrant pipeline?
- Bristol-Myers Squibb has a solid presence in targeted oncology drugs with
its blockbuster drug Erbitux. Which other drug in Bristol-Myers Squibb' s
portfolio represents a signifi cant achievement in the rational design of
drugs to overcome drug resistance in cancer?
- With Avastin, Herceptin, and Rituxan/MabThera, Genentech and Roche are on
track to rack up more than $11 billion in combined worldwide revenues in 2007.
Competition is on the way, however. Which companies have drugs in Phase III
trials for non-small-cell lung cancer? What are Genentech/Roche' s strategies
for expanding their prolifi c oncology franchise?
- For the last few years, ImClone has been sidetracked by legal issues; yet
ImClone still claims a legitimate cancer blockbuster: Erbitux, the fi rst
targeted cancer therapy approved for colorectal cancer. Why have unfavorable
results of Amgen' s Vectibix made clinicians, investigators, and investors
anxious about Erbitux' s future potential?
- Much excitement accompanied the completion of sequencing the human genome,
circa 2000. But the excitement soon gave rise to somber refl ection: the
sequencing itself did not immediately point the way to a bevy of new oncology
drugs. What work still needs to be done for human genome sequencing to realize
its promise of helping to provide personalized, targeted cancer therapies?
Scope
Scope
- Cancer therapy today and tomorrow: limitations of the three principal
modalities of current cancer treatment; addressing unmet needs; targeted
cancer therapy and personalized medicine; changes in the drug development
paradigm.
- Leaders in oncology: the world' s best-selling oncology drugs and the key
products in 11 leading oncology franchises.
- Oncology pipelines: Amgen' s woes; AstraZeneca' s disappointment;
Bristol-Myers Squibb' s expansion; Exelixis' s aggressive discoveries;
Genentech/Roche' s leading oncology franchise; Genmab' s waves;
GlaxoSmithKline' s oncological advances; ImClone' s legitimate blockbuster;
ImmunoGen' s “armed” technology; Novartis' s kinase inhibitors; Pfi
zer' s bandwagon-jumping.
- Waves of the future: human genome sequencing; the oncology gold rush; RNA
targeted therapies.
- Spectrum expert commentaries: two separate commentaries in which leading
oncology experts
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