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New opportunities for Nexavar

Working to combat liver cancer: Bayer HealthCare employee Rachid El-Kasmi monitors production of the drug Nexavar®.

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Working to combat liver cancer: Bayer HealthCare employee Rachid El-Kasmi monitors production of the drug Nexavar®.

Leverkusen – Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have launched a further Phase III study with Nexavar® tablets in liver cancer. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is evaluating Nexavar® as an adjuvant therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer, following the removal of all identifiable tumor tissue. The additional therapy is aimed at fighting cancer cells that may have spread in the body. The product is being jointly developed by Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

The new trial aims to build on earlier Phase III data showing that Nexavar® significantly improves overall survival in patients with unresectable liver cancer. Based on the strength of these data, Nexavar® was approved to treat HCC in the U.S. and Europe in 2007. Malignant tumors of the liver are the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.