Date: 2011-01-13
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: combinations of new cancer drugs
Company: Cancer Research UK (UK) AstraZeneca (UK)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D
Clinical trials
Action mechanism:
Disease: cancer
Details: Cancer Research UK’s drug development office (DDO) has signed a Strategic Combinations Alliance with AstraZeneca to take combinations of experimental cancer drugs into early phase clinical trials. The move will increase patient access to trials of potential new cancer treatments that combine molecularly targeted experimental drugs developed and owned by AstraZeneca. The trials will also test these combinations alongside conventional chemotherapy radiotherapy and other novel agents. It is hoped that combination therapy using a number of molecularly targeted drugs may decrease the chance of patients developing resistance to any individual drug. This is because different types of drugs attack the faults in cancer cells at different points. The trials will be managed and run through the Cancer Research UK/ UK Health Departments Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) Network at hospitals across the UK with support from Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office. The charity will also hold workshops with the ECMC Network and AZ to identify promising combinations of experimental treatments to trial.
Financial terms: AstraZeneca will provide access to its drugs to be trialled through the alliance as well as additional financial support.
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