In rare slip, Pfizer steamroller Ibrance fails to show it helps patients live longer
fiercepharma | June 25, 2018
More than two years ago, Pfizer’s Ibrance won an FDA nod to treat some breast cancer patients whose disease had progressed after endocrine therapy. But new study results suggest the drug may not actually help patients live longer.On Monday, Pfizer said Ibrance, in combination with fulvestrant, had failed to outdo placebo-plus-fulvestrant in women with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. While results “demonstrated a positive trend in the hazard ratio favoring the Ibrance combination,” they didn’t reach the statistical-significance mark. Pfizer was quick to point to the “high bar” for statistical significance in this particular patient population, as well as Ibrance's advance in breast cancer treatment. “Ibrance in combination with endocrine therapy has transformed the treatment landscape for patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer,” Mace Rothenberg, M.D., Pfizer’s chief development officer for oncology, said in a statement.