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The drug, XL784, was in testing as a treatment for diabetic nephropathy, which is a form of kidney disease. No study details were released yesterday except that XL784 failed on the primary endpoint of reducing proteinuria (a by-product of abnormal kidney functioning).
XL784 is part of the basket of nine remaining drugs from which GlaxoSmithKline
Only 20% of compounds entering phase 2 testing go on to regulatory approval, according to an oft-cited statistic from a Milken Institute policy brief. We'll find out the data on the failed XL784 study -- and what Exelixis plans to do with the compound once it has finished analyzing the data -- on Nov. 2, when Exelixis presents during the American Society of Nephrology Renal Week.
Sometimes drugs just don't work out like they're supposed to. Thankfully, Exelixis found this out in phase 2 testing rather than in a much more costly phase 3 trial.