Amgen's AMG 386 aids tumor growth reduction

US biotechnology major Amgen has reported data from preclinical studies suggesting a significantly greater reduction in tumor growth when its drug candidate AMG 386, a recombinant Fc-peptide fusion protein designed to bind angiopoietins 1 and 2, was combined with either of two vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors - bevacizumab or motesanib diphosphate (AMG 706), compared with either treatment alone (p<0.05).

The data were presented at the 2008 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, held in San Diego.

"Tumors depend on a reliable blood supply to grow and survive. By targeting angiogenesis - the process underlying the formation and growth of new blood vessels - we hope to achieve clinically-meaningful control of many cancers," said Roger Perlmutter, Amgen's executive vice president of R&D. "What's encouraging about these early results is that they indicate that blocking more than one angiogenesis pathway may offer enhanced potential to inhibit tumor growth. We look forward to investigating this finding further."