This phase III trial was conducted to test whether the novel vascular disrupting agent ASA404 (vadimezan), when combined with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, improves survival in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) versus chemotherapy alone.

Patients with advanced stage IIIB or IV NSCLC, stratified by sex and tumor histology, were randomly assigned 1:1 to paclitaxel (200 mg/m²) and carboplatin (area under the curve, 6.0) with or without ASA404 (1,800 mg m²), given intravenously once every 3 weeks for six cycles followed by maintenance ASA404 or placebo. Primary end point was overall survival (OS); secondary end points included overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS).

One thousand two hundred ninety-nine patients were randomly assigned. The trial was stopped for futility at interim analysis. At final analysis, there was no difference in OS seen between ASA404 (n = 649) and placebo (n = 650) arms: median OS was 13.4 and 12.7 months respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 1.01; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.19; P = .535). Similarly, no OS difference was seen in the histologic (squamous or nonsquamous) and sex (male or female) strata. Median PFS was 5.5 months in both arms (HR, 1.04; P = .727), while ORR was 25% in both arms (P = 1.0). Overall rate of adverse events (AEs) was comparable between the ASA404 and placebo arms. Grade 4 neutropenia (27% v 19%) and infusion site pain (10% v 0.5%) were reported more frequently in the ASA404 arm.

The addition of ASA404 to carboplatin and paclitaxel, although generally well tolerated, failed to improve frontline efficacy in advanced NSCLC.