Phase 3 Trial Initiated to Evaluate Combination Therapy of Nexavar(R) and Tarceva(R) in Patients with Li...( WAYNE N.J. EMERYVILLE Calif. and MELV...),Health

WAYNE, N.J., EMERYVILLE, Calif. and MELVILLE, N.Y., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer HealthCare LLC., Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX), OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSIP) and Roche today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 trial examining Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets in combination with Tarceva(R) (erlotinib) tablets as a potential new treatment option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer.

The SEARCH (Sorafenib and erlotinib, a randomized trial protocol for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma) trial aims to further build on data from the Phase 3 SHARP trial, which demonstrated that Nexavar significantly extended overall survival in patients with unresectable liver cancer by 44 percent (HR=0.69; p-value=0.0006). Based on the strength of these data, Nexavar was approved for the treatment of patients with unresectable HCC in the United States and in Europe for the treatment of HCC. Nexavar is currently approved in more than 70 countries for the treatment of HCC, including China where more than half of all liver cancer cases worldwide occur each year.

"Nexavar is the only approved targeted therapy with efficacy and tolerability in liver cancer," said Dimitris Voliotis, MD, vice president, Nexavar Clinical Development, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. "We look forward to seeing the potential of combining Nexavar with another effective cancer treatment, Tarceva, in treating this disease and further extending the lives of patients."

"This study will enable us to learn whether combining two oral targeted therapies, Nexavar and Tarceva, can improve survival in a disease that is difficult to trea
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