Lilly To Present Pipeline Data On Cancer Therapies At AACR 2014

Eli Lilly announced that it will release early-stage pipeline data on several of its targeted cancer therapies at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014 held in San Diego, CA this month.

The presentation will include data on bemaciclib (LY2835219), the company’s oral, cell cycle CDK4/6 inhibitor. Bemaciclib is being developed as a potential treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Richard Gaynor, SVP of product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology, said, “The CDK4/6 pathway is one of the most commonly implicated pathways in all cancers, making it an important area for research. The single-agent activity we've observed for bemaciclib is encouraging in this setting and we believe the data support the need for further development in metastatic breast cancer.”

Other early-stage pipeline studies to be presented at AACR include:

• B-Raf Inhibitor (LY3009120) - Identification of LY3009120 as a pan inhibitor of Raf isoforms and dimer with activity against BRaf or Ras mutant tumor cells and minimal paradoxical activation
• c-MET Inhibitor (LY2801653) - Interim results of a first-in-human Phase I study of the oral MET kinase inhibitor, LY2801653, in patients with advanced cancer
• FGFR Inhibitor (LY2874455) - Phase 1 Study of LY2874455, a Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Dr. Gaynor added, “As we gain a better understanding about the distinct tumor biologies and other individual characteristics that make one tumor different than another, we are able to apply this knowledge to our development of potential new cancer treatments, such as those we are presenting at AACR. Each step we take during early-stage research —  both in the lab and on clinical trials — leads us toward the same overall goal: to increase the number of treatment options available to patients.”

The company’s B-Raf inhibitor LY3009120 will be highlighted at AACR's New Drugs on the Horizon special session. The presentation on LY2835219 will be featured in an official AACR-sponsored press conference. LY2801653, Lilly’s c-MET kinase inhibitor, will also be featured in an oral presentation at the AACR meeting.