Oncologists in the United States and Europe Indicate that Novel Chemotherapies Hold the Most Near-Term Promise for Improving Outcomes in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, although interviewed oncologists in the United States and Europe would like to see a future of personalized medicine targeting different soft tissue sarcoma subtypes, they believe that it is in fact novel chemotherapies that hold the most near-term promise for improving outcomes in this highly fragmented indication.

According to Niche Markets and Rare Diseases: Soft Tissue Sarcoma, the clinical pipeline for the disease is relatively sparse and chemotherapy remains the backbone of current treatment. Additionally, most late-stage research focuses on developing novel chemotherapeutic agents or new formulations of chemotherapy drugs with proven efficacy. There are only a few agents in Phase III clinical trials and the majority are chemotherapeutic agents, while considerably more therapies are in mid-stage development and, depending on data, regulators may be open to considering a filing based only on Phase II results.

Initial clinical trials typically position these agents in refractory populations, where the barrier to gaining regulatory approval is relatively low. However, expansion into first-line populations is underway for a number of novel agents in development. Decision Resources forecasts that four agents will launch for soft tissue sarcoma between now and 2018 – palifosfamide (Ziopharm's Zymaphos), eribulin (Eisai's Halaven), crizotinib (Pfizer's Xalkori) and Threshold Pharmaceuticals' TH-302.

"Although we believe that palifosfamide will gain approval for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma, it will likely not have a significant impact on overall survival outcomes for patients, being largely equivalent to ifosfamide in this regard, although palifosfamide will demonstrate superior progression-free survival over doxorubicin alone," said Decision Resources Therapy Leader of Oncology Joanne Graham, Ph.D. "The key advantages of palifosfamide will be reduced neurotoxicity and improved ease of administration, especially once the oral capsule is available. It's anticipated that the improved convenience over ifosfamide—namely, reduced hospital stay and alleviation of the need for hydration—will offset the inevitable higher price of palifosfamide and will drive high uptake, especially once it becomes available in Europe."  

About Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft Tissue Sarcoma is offered as part of Decision Resources' Niche Markets and Rare Diseases service. Each report assesses opportunity in a select drug market across the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The report provides detailed coverage of patient populations, current therapies, unmet needs and emerging therapies, and includes primary research with country-specific thought leaders.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources Group company.

About Decision Resources Group

Decision Resources Group is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources Group at www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Decision Resources

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