AstraZeneca's ZD0473 in resistant tumors

New results from a Phase II monotherapy trial of AstraZeneca'snew-generation platinum drug ZD0473 have shown that the agent has a favorable side-effect profile and can produce objective clinical responses in patients with both platinum-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer. ZD0473 has a number of potential tolerability advantages over cisplatin, the most commonly-used drug in the platinum class, according to study investigator Martin Gore of the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, UK, including a reduced risk of toxicity to the kidney and nervous system. Another study has shown that ZD0473 is also active in cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer patients.