Test will screen for particular gene rearrangements to help select patients for future clinical trials.
Abbott has agreed to develop a molecular companion test for one of Pfizer’s investigational drugs for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) called PF-02341066. The compound reportedly targets certain genes that have been implication in the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“Pfizer’s novel compound for treating non-small-cell lung cancer appears to be ideally suited to individualized therapy,” according to Stafford O’Kelly, head of Abbott’s molecular diagnostics business.
To be eligible to receive Pfizer’s oral therapy, a particular genetic translocation, or rearrangement, known to be found in NSCLC tumors and other cancers but not in normal cells, must be present. Abbott will develop a test to determine a patient’s genetic status, and it will be used in patient selection for future clinical trials.
“This test will allow us to focus on the patient population most likely to benefit from our NSCLC candidate,” points out Garry Nicholson, GM, Pfizer oncology business unit.
