GSK cancer vaccine fails again but testing continues

An experimental cancer vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline has failed in a second test – this time against lung cancer – but the British company said it still hoped to identify a sub-group of patients in which it would work. Thursday's news that the MAGE-A3 therapeutic vaccine did not help patients with non-small cell lung cancer in a late-stage study is a further blow to the high-risk, high-reward project after a similar setback in melanoma in September. The large Phase III study, involving more than 2,000 lung cancer patients, found that the experimental therapy did not help patients live longer without their disease recurring. Vincent Brichard, head of immunotherapeutics at GSK Vaccines, said the company was disappointed by the outcome but remained committed to the project.