STAT+: Closely watched Pfizer lung cancer drug falls short in clinical trial

Pfizer said Monday that an experimental drug it hoped could replace a widely used chemotherapy in one of the most common forms of lung cancer fell short in a clinical trial. Expectations had been high that the drug, sigvotatug vedotin, could replace docetaxel, a chemotherapy initially approved in 1996. Last year, Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, said on an earnings call the drug “could be a driver of growth later this decade.” In a note to investors in May, Leerink analyst David Risinger called the upcoming data readout a “major oncology catalyst” and said he had spoken to a doctor who was “optimistic” about its potential. Pfizer acquired sigvotatug vedotin when it bought the biotechnology firm Seagen for $43 billion in 2023.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…