RxTrials Institute Drug Pipeline Alert

Almost half of all patients with head and neck cancer who received Erbitux and radiation therapy survived for at least five years in a Phase III clinical trial, according to Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone Systems.

The international, randomized study, conducted by ImClone and its partner Merck KGaA, enrolled 424 previously untreated patients with locally or regionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma that has spread through the head and neck region. Merck licensed the rights to develop and market Erbitux outside of North America from ImClone in 1998.

The combination therapy significantly increased median survival compared with results for radiation alone, the companies say in a statement. The overall survival rate at five years was 45 percent for patients given the combination treatment versus 36 percent for those on radiation therapy.