Axitinib (Axi)

Axitinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by Pfizer. It has been shown to significantly inhibit growth of breast cancer in xenograft models and has been successful in clinical trials with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and several other tumour types. A Phase II clinical trial showed good response in combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine for advanced pancreatic cancer. Phase III clinical trials of the drug when used in combination with gemcitabine showed no evidence of improved survival rates over treatments using gemcitabine alone for advanced pancreatic cancer and halted the trial. Phase III trial for previously treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) showed significantly extended progression-free survival when compared to sorafenib. Its primary mechanism of action is thought to be Vascular epidermal growth factor receptor 1-3, c-KIT and PDGFR inhibition, this, in turn, enables it to inhibit angiogenesis.