Merck's Erbitux misses in Phase III trial for gastric cancer

Merck KGaA (Xetra:MRK) said first-line treatment with Erbitux cetuximab missed the primary endpoint in the Phase III EXPAND trial to treat advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. Specifically, Erbitux plus cisplatin and Xeloda capecitabine missed the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) vs. cisplatin and Xeloda alone. Merck said the results do not alter Erbitux's utility in its approved indications -- metastatic colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The open-label, international trial enrolled 904 patients with unresectable advanced cancer of the stomach or gastro-esophageal junction who had received no prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy. ...