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Closely watched Pfizer lung cancer drug falls short in clinical trial

Pfizer said Monday that an experimental drug it hoped could replace a widely used chemotherapy in one of the most common forms of lung cancer fell short in a clinical trial.

Expectations had been high that the drug, sigvotatug vedotin, could replace docetaxel, a chemotherapy initially approved in 1996. Last year, Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, said on an earnings call the drug “could be a driver of growth later this decade.” In a note to investors in May, Leerink analyst David Risinger called the upcoming data readout a “major oncology catalyst” and said he had spoken to a doctor who was “optimistic” about its potential.

Pfizer acquired sigvotatug vedotin when it bought the biotechnology firm Seagen for $43 billion in 2023.

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