LONDON (ShareCast) - (ShareCast News) - Hutchison China MediTech - known as Chi‑Med - has initiated 'FRUTIGA', a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of fruquintinib in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol) for the treatment in advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma patients in China.
The AIM-traded company said fruquintinib is a "highly selective and potent" oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2 and 3.

It said the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial was being conducted in patients with advanced gastric cancer who had progressed after first-line standard chemotherapy.

Advanced gastric cancer was described by the company's board as a "major medical need", particularly in Asian populations, with limited treatment options for patients who have failed first-line standard chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and platinum doublets.

For gastric cancer, there are approximately 679,100 new cases and 498,000 deaths in China each year.

"Fruquintinib was designed to be a highly selective inhibitor of VEGFR 1, 2 and 3, which has shown the potential ability to combine with chemotherapy - a novel approach in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer," said Chi-Med chief executive Christian Hogg.

"With fruquintinib's new drug application in third-line colorectal cancer under review and its Phase III trial in third-line non-small cell lung cancer nearing full enrollment, we are excited to now also enter the final phase of development in second-line gastric cancer, a very large indication in which there is significant patient need for new treatment options in China."

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