Eli Lilly & Co (NYSE:LLY) has received a boost for its drug Cyramza after it met the primary endpoints in a phase III clinical trial for bladder cancer.
Some 531 patients with urothelial carcinoma were treated in the trial, with a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival.
The safety profile observed in the RANGE study was consistent previous trials for ramucirumab, the generic name for Cyramza, it added.
The drug has already successfully completed five other Phase 3 studies including advanced forms of gastric, non-small cell lung and colorectal cancer.
But Eli Lilly added that it will wait for data on overall survival rates before submitting the drug in this indication as it anticipates these will be required for regulatory approval.
Final data is expected in the middle of next year.
Urothelial carcinoma is one of the ten most common forms of the disease, Eli Lilly said.
"People with advanced urothelial cancer - an aggressive disease - who have progressed on prior therapy need more treatment options that can help to control their disease," said Levi Garraway, senior vice president, global development and medical affairs.
"Until now, no Phase 3 study has demonstrated superior PFS over chemotherapy in this setting. These results are encouraging and we look forward to seeing the overall survival results when they are mature."
RANGE was the first Phase III trial investigating ramucirumab in urothelial cancer patients.