Drug setback for British Biotech

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

British Biotech, the fallen star of the UK biotechnology sector, has suffered a fresh setback with the release of trial data showing its marimastat drug was ineffective in treating a form of brain cancer.

Marimastat showed no statistically significant advantage over placebo in the phase III clinical trial to assess its use in prolonging survival of patients with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer.

Chief executive Elliot Goldstein said he believed the best prospect for the drug - one of a group of novel anti-cancer agents known as matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors - now lay in treating lung cancer. 'Two studies in small cell lung cancer, which we believe represents the most suitable setting in which marimastat is being tested, will report later this year,' he said.

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