Curis shares sink as Genentech evaluates lead drug’s fate

Investigators at Roche and Genentech are preparing an in-depth analysis of a fresh crop of mid-stage data on Curis's GDC-0449, with an eye to determine whether the therapy should make the cut for ovarian cancer--less than two months after the same therapy flunked its mid-stage trial for colon cancer. "Following these analyses," wrote Curis (CRIS) in a clinical update, "they (Roche and Genentech) expect to make a portfolio decision regarding whether, or to what extent, they will continue...

Curis shares plunge after lead drug flunks cancer trial

Cambridge, MA-based Curis (CRIS) has been handed a significant setback on its lead cancer program. The developer announced this morning that GDC-0449 flunked the primary endpoint in a Phase II colorectal cancer trial mounted by its partner Genentech, failing to outperform a combination of Avastin and chemotherapy. The news quickly lopped 46 percent off the value of its shares. Researchers behind the 199-patient trial were looking to see whether the drug, in combination with Avastin and chemo,...

BMS, Pfizer cancer drugs take starring roles at ASCO

 Bristol-Myers Squibb's ipilimumab took the center ring at ASCO over the weekend, earning star billing for its promising data on melanoma. In a small trial, patients taking the drug lived a median of 10 months, compared to 6.4 months in a control group. And almost a quarter of the patients taking the therapy were alive after two years, compared to just 14 percent of the control group. "This is the first randomized placebo-controlled trial ever to show a survival benefit in Stage 4...