by Playfuls Staff |
3rd December 2006
US pharmaceuticals concern Pfizer Inc. announced late Saturday that with immediate effect it was stopping all clinical trials and development of the cholesterol drug torcetrapib for [more] safety reasons.
The world's largest drugmaker said in a statement that it was following the recommendations of the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) concerning the company's "ILLUMINATE" trial of the new drug.
The board had advised a stop to the clinical trial ""because of an imbalance of mortality and cardiovascular events," Pfizer said.
New York-based Pfizer said in its statement that ending the torcetrapib study would have no effect on the safety and efficacy of the company's cholesterol drug Lipitor.
Pfizer's research into torcetrapib had been using Lipitor as a comparator in tests aimed at increasing good cholesterol called HDL and lowering bad cholesterol, LDL.
Pfizer chief executive Jeffrey B. Kindler said that "while the DSMB information we received today was both surprising and disappointing, our focus is on the best interests of patients and making sure all this information is communicated to appropriate medical and regulatory authorities as quickly as possible."
Kindler said that Pfizer would "respond quickly and aggressively" to the challenge posed by the end of development of the medication. For Pfizer, torcetrapib was the most important drug compound under development.
© 2006 DPA
