Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will present early-stage data from several targeted cancer therapies – including bemaciclib "beh meh sye' klib" (LY2835219), its oral, cell-cycle inhibitor of CDK4/6 – that make up its diverse clinical oncology pipeline during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014 held in San Diego, Calif. from April 5 – 9.
"Harnessing Breakthroughs – Targeting Cures" is the theme of this year's AACR meeting and one that is mirrored throughout Lilly's early-stage oncology research. Lilly's oncology pipeline is among the most robust across the pharmaceutical industry and includes a broad range of large and small molecules being investigated to treat a wide range of cancers including lung, breast, colorectal, gastric, liver and hematologic malignancies. Lilly research presented at AACR will represent early findings from several of those early-stage clinical agents.
Data from bemaciclib, Lilly's CDK4/6 inhibitor LY2835219 as a potential treatment for metastatic breast cancer, has been accepted as a late-breaking presentation that will be included at AACR's Clinical Trials Symposium and will be featured in an official AACR-sponsored press conference.
"The CDK4/6 pathway is one of the most commonly implicated pathways in all cancers, making it an important area for research," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., senior vice president of product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology. "The single-agent activity we've observed for bemaciclib is encouraging in this setting and we believe the data support the need for further development in metastatic breast cancer."
Lilly's B-Raf inhibitor LY3009120 will be highlighted at AACR's New Drugs on the Horizon special session where first data disclosures of promising, new anti-cancer compounds that target key pathways will occur. There will also be an oral presentation on Lilly's c-MET kinase inhibitor, LY2801653.
"As we gain a better understanding about the distinct tumor biologies and other individual characteristics that make one tumor different than another, we are able to apply this knowledge to our development of potential new cancer treatments, such as those we are presenting at AACR," said Dr. Gaynor. "Each step we take during early-stage research – both in the lab and on clinical trials – leads us toward the same overall goal: to increase the number of treatment options available to patients."
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