Inc has announced the discontinuation of a development programme in lung cancer for PF-3512676, an investigational compound, in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. This includes two phase III clinical trials and two phase II clinical trials. Pfizer licensed PF- 3512676 from Coley Pharmaceutical Group in 2005.

A scheduled interim analysis of the phase III clinical trials by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) showed that there was no evidence that PF-3512676 produced additional clinical efficacy over that achieved with the standard cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen alone. The DSMC concluded that the risk-benefit profile did not justify continuation of the trials. Pfizer agrees with the findings of the DSMC and is discontinuing the related clinical trials.

Following receipt of these results from the DSMC, Pfizer immediately began outreach to worldwide regulatory authorities and clinical trial investigators.

"We are communicating these results to patients and the scientific and medical community," said Dr Charles Baum, vice president of Pfizer's research and development. "While these results show the challenge of bringing new therapies to patients with cancer, Pfizer remains committed to advancing our broad and diverse oncology programmewhich include over two hundred clinical trials of sixteen new medicines in clinical studies in immunotherapy, signal transduction inhibition and angiogenesis inhibition."