Pfizer resumes melanoma drug study

A Pfizer Inc. drug targeting the world's fastest-growing form of cancer is moving forward, despite disappointing results in an earlier clinical trial.

The company said Thursday that it has entered into an agreement with Debiopharm Group of Switzerland to co-develop the skin-cancer drug tremelimumab, which was discovered at Pfizer's Groton laboratories.

Debiopharm will conduct late-stage testing to determine tremelimumab's effect on malignant melanoma, and Pfizer would be responsible for commercializing the drug if it proves effective.

Tremelimumab targets cancer cells to be attacked by the body's immunological response system.

Financial details of the agreement were not released.

Garry Nicholson, president and general manager of Pfizer's oncology business unit, said in a statement that the new partnership with Debiopharm "is a demonstration of our commitment to personalized medicine for cancer patients."

Two years ago, Pfizer discontinued a late-stage trial on tremelimumab when it was determined that the drug would not show advantages over standard chemotherapy treatments. Pfizer said further analysis of the trial data showed that select patients may do better on the drug than the general population of advanced-melanoma cases.

Unlike during the previous late-stage trial, in which tremelimumab was tested on a wide range of advanced melanoma patients, the drug this time will be given to people selected because of a predetermined but undisclosed biomarker.

A biomarker could be any one of several substances, including cells, molecules, genes, enzymes or hormones.

Pfizer called melanoma "the deadliest form of skin cancer" and said about 69,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year in the United States. About 9,000 cases lead to death annually.

l.howard@theday.com