The ASCO roundup: ArQule drug flunks a mid-stage test

Plenty of more early-stage and mid-stage study results came to light at ASCO over the past day. Here are some of the highlights: ArQule said that its lung cancer drug flunked a mid-stage study, but it flagged some positive results for a subset of patients taking the therapy. About two thirds of the patients taking a combination of ARQ-197 and Tarceva demonstrated an improvement in survival rates, but that wasn't enough to give it a significant statistical edge over Tarceva alone. Patients...

ASCO: Lilly tracks partial melanoma response, Celldex shares sink

Last night's data dump ahead of ASCO produced a treasure trove of information, but few signs of any dramatic leap or pratfall. Among the highlights: Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) reported that a handful of patients in a small mid-stage study of its melanoma drug tasisulam demonstrated a partial response--in which a tumor or lesion shrank--to the therapy. Tested in patients with metastatic melanoma, a virtual death sentence, 24 of 68 patients experienced no disease progression after two treatment...