WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - Amgen's (AMGN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) once-a-day pill to starve tumors can help many patients with hard-to-treat thyroid cancer, either by shrinking tumors or slowing their growth, researchers reported on...

A study published in the July 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that Amgen Inc.’s experimental cancer drug, motesanib diphosphate, proved efficient in the case of people suffering from advanced thyroid cancer that has spread to other sites.

Steven I. Sherman, M.D., chair and professor of M.D. Anderson’s Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders led the study involving 93 rapidly progressing cancer patients who were given motesanib diphosphate. According to findings, 49 of the patients had a positive response to treatment. Of these, 14 percent had their tumors shrink and 35 had their tumors stabilize for more than 24 weeks. Median progression-free survival was about 40 weeks.

The researchers also conducted genetic analyses in 25 patients and discovered that those with a specific mutation known as BRAF V600E in their tumors had a better response to the experimental drug.

“Finding that patients whose tumors bear a particular mutation were more likely to respond to the drug is an example of where we would like to head in our research,” Dr. Sherman said very pleased about the findings, Reuters reports.

Amgen’s drug is a biologic agent that targets receptors on a protein known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by...
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