Ignoring lawsuit, Bayer takes regorafenib into PhIII cancer study

Germany's Bayer Schering Pharma is marching ahead into a Phase III study of regorafenib for colorectal cancer, gambling that it can successfully fend off a legal attack from its U.S. partner Onyx.

Regorafenib (BAY 73-4506) is closely related to the blockbuster therapy Nexavar, which is controlled by Onyx and Bayer. Onyx filed suit against Bayer a year ago, saying that the new cancer drug can be distinguished from Nexavar by only a single atom. As Reuters points out, both are multikinase inhibitors that starve cancer tumors by blocking the growth of new blood vessels.

Researchers will recruit about 690 patients with treatment-resistant metastatic CRC. "The initiation of a Phase III clinical trial for regorafenib marks the starting point for a potential new treatment option for colorectal cancer patients, and is an important milestone for Bayer in our ongoing effort to meet the unmet needs of people affected by cancer," said Kemal Malik, MD, Bayer's head of global development.

- check out the press release
- here's the story from Reuters