AVEO receives USAN, WHO generic name approval for ficlatuzumab

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVEO) today announced that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council, in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO) International Nonproprietary Names Expert Committee, has approved the use of the nonproprietary generic name "ficlatuzumab" (pronounced fye" kla tue' zue mab) for AV-299, a potent, functional anti-HGF/c-MET antibody internally discovered at AVEO. Ficlatuzumab is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in combination with gefitinib (Iressa™) versus gefitinib monotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

"We believe the HGF/c-MET pathway is an exciting and newly validated target in oncology drug development and represents a novel approach which may address many cancers for which there is a high unmet medical need," said William Slichenmyer, M.D., Sc.M., chief medical officer at AVEO. "Ficlatuzumab is the lead antibody emerging from our promising antibody pipeline. Data from preclinical and Phase 1 studies of ficlatuzumab demonstrate a well-tolerated profile and good combinability with EGFR inhibitors, such as erlotinib and gefitinib, and we look forward to continuing to advance ficlatuzumab in the clinic."