Figitumumab is new treatment that has a promising biological activity that may play a role in several types of cancer. Figitumumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody to insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-IR) and has a half life of about 20 days. To date, it has been safe in combination with chemotherapy or alone.
IGF-IR is a promising target as a cancer treatment as it appears to be over expressed in certain tumors as well as possibly playing a role in abnormal proliferation and resistance to treatment.
Figitumumab has a very long way to go, however.
It has just entered stage III trials as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. In a stage II trial, 54% of those on Figitumumab and chemotherapy had a response as opposed to 42% on chemotherapy alone. If restricted to squamous cell tumors, however, response goes up to 70%.
Since squamous cell tumors make up 25% of lung cancers - the biggest killer of the cancers - this is very promising. A treatment with 70% response for that type of cancer would be a tremendous breakthrough.
The small size of the trial, however, means that such response may have been a fluke.
Two recent trials of figitumumab in different types of lung cancer were stopped early as in those trials it was highly unlikely that it would have positive effect.
Research into new cancer treatments is dogged by the possibility that a drug with promising activity will fail to deliver in clinical studies. There is still a great deal of time, however, for more to be discovered about the mechanism of action of figitumumab and its potential to play a role in the treatment of cancers.
David Gurevich is a bio/pharmaceutical analyst who loves writing and analyzing conditions and medications.
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