Pfizer's (PFE) Talazoparib Emerges Superior In EMBRACA Study

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced superiority of its breast cancer candidate – talazoparib – over chemotherapy in improving progression free survival (“PFS”) in a phase III study, EMBRACA.

Talazoparib is an investigation dual-mechanism poly ADP ribose polymerase (“PARP”) inhibitor. The company will present the data from the study at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Shares of Pfizer have gained 9.3% in the past six months, outperforming the industry’s rise of 4.4% in that period.

The EMBRACA study evaluated talazoparib as a single agent in patients with germline BRCA-positive breast cancer who have received prior chemotherapy treatment. The candidate achieved a significant reduction of 46% in the risk of disease progression as the median PFS was 8.6 months in the talazoparib arm versus 5.6 month in the chemotherapy arm.

Moreover, 62.6% of patients in talazoparib arm achieved complete or partial response against 27.2% of patients receiving chemotherapy.

PARP inhibition is a new targeted therapy, which inhibits repair of the DNA of the cell, thus destroying the cell. The label expansion application of AstraZeneca’s (NYSE:AZN) PARP inhibitor, Lynparza, is under review in the United States. Meanwhile, Clovis Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLVS) has collaborated with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) to develop its PARP inhibitor in combination with the latter’s PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo, in breast cancer.

Apart from talazoparib, Pfizer is also developing its key drug, Ibrance for treating advanced or high-risk early breast cancer. Ibrance is currently approved for HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Pfizer carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies

It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively.

And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.

See Them Free>>