ZymoGenetics, Inc. presented interim results today from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Interleukin 21 (IL-21) in combination with Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer.
Outpatient therapy with IL-21 and Nexavar as a second or third-line therapy for metastatic renal cell cancer was associated with anti-tumor activity, with manageable side effects. Of subjects treated and assessed by independent review, 3 of 18 patients had a confirmed partial response, for an overall response rate of 17%. In addition, two partial responses have not yet been confirmed. The overall response rate and disease control rate observed with the combination treatment regimen appears to compare favorably to results obtained in separate studies with single-agent Nexavar. The data was presented at the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.
"We continue to see promising anti-tumor effects from the combination of IL-21 and Nexavar in patients with renal cell cancer," said Nicole Onetto, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ZymoGenetics. "We look forward to final results, including progression-free survival data, in the first half of 2009."