Bayer sticks to bone metastasis drug estimate after setback

BERLIN: Bayer is sticking to its peak sales estimate for bone metastasis drug Xofigo despite a setback in a late-stage drug trial, the head of the German group's pharmaceuticals unit said on Friday.

In a trial, which was designed to widen the use of radiology drug Xofigo among prostate cancer patients with painful bone metastases, more cases of bone fractures and deaths occurred than in the control group on placebo, according to a statement from Bayer released late on Thursday.

The study, intended to bring the drug to bone metastasis patients at an earlier stage of treatment, was then unblinded in the interest of patient safety, meaning participants and doctors were told who received Xofigo and who was part of the control group on ineffective placebo.

Asked whether Bayer's sales estimate for Xofigo of at least 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) would have to be lowered, Bayer's head of pharmaceuticals Dieter Weinand said: "We have not revised our peak sales estimate."

The company, holding a media event in Berlin on Friday, also reaffirmed that the drug would continue to be tested on other tumour types such as breast cancer and types of blood cancer. ($1 = 0.8413 euros)

(Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Adrian Croft)