Array gets $3M Ph II milestone from AstraZeneca

Colorado, USA-headquartered Array BioPharma says that it received a $3.0 million payment from Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca for achieving a Phase II milestone for AZD6244 (ARRY-142886). This was triggered upon dosing the first patient in a Phase II trial of the agent, which is a selective MAPK/ERK-kinase inhibitor that was in-licensed by AstraZeneca in December 2003.

The previously-announced Phase II randomized study will compare AZD6244 (ARRY-142886) to temozolomide in the treatment of stage III/IV melanoma patients. AstraZeneca expects to enroll up to 180 patients at around 40 centers worldwide. Additional Phase II studies, in a range of other tumors, are scheduled to start this year.

Initiation of the Phase II evaluation is based on the results of the Phase Ib study which recently completed recruitment, and which included patients with melanoma and a variety of other solid tumors. The Phase I trial clearly demonstrated that AZD6244 (ARRY-142886) inhibits MEK and associated downstream markers in tumors at doses deemed well tolerated, says Array, adding that the full results of this will be published later in the year.