Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc, which specialises in new cancer therapies, said that its CI-1042 (ONYX-015) may act against a variety of tumours, such as head and neck tumours, as well as colorectal, pancreatic and ovarian cancer.

CI-1042 is a tumour-selective therapy that self-amplifies in the presence of tumour tissue.

The company said in a statement in its annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology that results from clinical studies on CI-1042 (ONYX-015) showed that the drug may be useful on a variety of tumour types and in a wide variety of cancers with mutations within the p53-tumour suppressor pathway.

Also, results from these studies showed that administration of the drug is not limited to direct intratumoral injection, but may also be safely administered in other ways in exploring and treating colorectal and pancreatic cancer.

Shares of Onyx, which is conducting earlier stage clinical studies of CI-1042 in a variety of other cancer and precancer indications with partner Warner-Lambert, closed at 9-1/2 on the Nasdaq exchange on Tuesday.