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A trial of a new drug aimed a treating patients with advanced pancreatic cancer has been ended because tests show the treatment is unlikely to prove effective.
Drug maker GenVec Inc revealed it has stopped the trial of TNFerade due to poor interim results.
The company said it had been determined to prove the drug, used on 330 patients during the trial, would significantly improve survival rates for the cancer sufferers.
But after a meeting with an independent board, it said the trial had not gone as hoped,
Shares in GenVec fell 75% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
The latest tests show using TNFerade reduced the risk of death by 8% when combined with radiation and chemotherapy.
But earlier analysis showed it reduced the risk of death by up to 25% for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Copyright Press Association 2010
GenVec Inc
