PHASE III Study Compares Vandetanib (Zactima(TM), ZD6474) to Erlotinib in Advanced Lung Cancer

Alderley Park, England (ots/PRNewswire) -

- First Patient Enrolled in Pivotal International Randomised,
Double-Blind Study of Vandetanib Versus Erlotinib

FOR NON-US HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL PRESS ONLY

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) today announced the start of enrolment into
a new Phase III study of the novel once-daily oral anti-cancer drug,
vandetanib (ZACTIMA(TM), ZD6474), comparing it with erlotinib in
patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC). The study, known as Study 57, will be conducted at
approximately 160 centres across 23 countries, and is expected to
enrol over 1,150 patients. It marks the first Phase III direct
comparison of vandetanib with erlotinib, and forms part of an
extensive clinical development programme of vandetanib in NSCLC.

Over 1.35 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed every
year and nearly 1.2 million people die as a result of this
devastating disease - more than breast, colon and prostate cancer
combined.(1) Study 57 will evaluate progression free survival with
oral vandetanib 300mg compared with oral erlotinib 150mg in patients
with advanced NSCLC after failure of at least one but no more than
two prior chemotherapy regimens. The study will also compare
vandetanib and erlotinib for overall survival, objective response
rate, disease control rate, response duration, effect on disease
related symptoms, quality of life assessments, and safety and
tolerability.

Medical Science Director for ZACTIMA at AstraZeneca, Peter
Langmuir, commented, "Research in lung cancer has helped us identify
specific pathways that play an important role in the development and
progression of this disease. Treatments are in development that
reflect these research advances, and investigation is needed to
assess anti-tumour activity with new agents which target multiple key
pathways, such as vandetanib, compared to currently available
single-target treatments."

Study 57 is the second Phase III study for vandetanib in NSCLC to
have begun patient enrolment this year. Study 32, announced in June
2006, is an international randomised, double-blind, placebo
controlled study, comparing treatment with vandetanib 100mg plus
docetaxel versus docetaxel alone in patients with locally advanced or
metastatic NSCLC after failure of first-line treatment.

Vandetanib (ZACTIMA(TM), ZD6474)

Vandetanib works by inhibiting both the development of the
tumour's blood supply through inhibition of VEGFR (anti-angiogenesis)
and the growth and survival of the tumour itself through inhibition
of EGFR. It also inhibits RET kinase, an important growth factor in
certain types of thyroid cancer. Vandetanib has shown promising
anti-tumour activity in NSCLC when used alone and in combination with
docetaxel in Phase II trials.(2,3) Vandetanib has also shown
encouraging early data in hereditary medullary thyroid cancer(4) and
has been awarded FDA and EU orphan drug status, and FDA fast track
designation for this indication. Vandetanib is currently in clinical
development in a range of tumours.

ZACTIMA(TM) is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.

Notes to editors

- Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death for both men and
women worldwide and the incidence is increasing.(1) Prognosis for
lung cancer is generally poor. If lung cancer is detected at early
stages, before it has spread to other organs or lymph nodes, around
half of patients can survive for five years or more. However, few
lung cancers are found at this early stage and it is normally
diagnosed at the advanced stage, when five year survival falls to
approximately 15%.(5)

- AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged
in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of
prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services.
It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with
healthcare sales of US$23.95 billion and leading positions in sales
of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory,
oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

- For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit:
www.astrazeneca.com

For further information, please contact:

Janet Milton-Edwards Carrie Deverell
AstraZeneca AstraZeneca
Tel: +44-(0)-1625-515-275 Tel: +44-(0)-1625-514-77
Mobile: +44-(0)-7990-640-119 Mobile: +44-(0)-7929-845-108
janet.milton-edwards@astrazeneca.com carrie.deverell@astrazeneca.com

ALDERLEY PARK, England, September 28 /PRNewswire/ --

References

1. Ferlay J, Bray F, Pisani P, et al. GLOBOCAN 2002: Cancer
Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide IARC CancerBase No. 5.
version 2.0, IARCPress, Lyon, 2004.

2. Natale R et al. A comparison of the antitumour efficacy of
ZD6474 and gefitinib (Iressa(TM)) in patients with NSCLC: results of
a randomized, double-blind Phase II study. Lung Cancer 2005; 49
(Suppl 2): S36.

3. Herbst R et al. ZD6474 plus docetaxel in patients with
previously treated NSCLC: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled
phase II trial. Lung Cancer 2005; 49 (Suppl 2): S35.

4. Wells S et al. The Use of ZACTIMA(TM) (ZD6474) in the Treatment
of Patients with Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma. Presented at
the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and
Cancer Therapeutics, November 2005.

5. Bepler G. Lung cancer epidemiology and genetics. Journal of
Thoracic Imaging 1999;14(4):228-34.

ots Originaltext: AstraZeneca
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Janet Milton-Edwards, AstraZeneca, Tel: +44-(0)-1625-515-275, Mobile:
+44-(0)-7990-640-119, janet.milton-edwards@astrazeneca.com, Carrie
Deverell, AstraZeneca, Tel: +44-(0)-1625-514-77, Mobile:
+44-(0)-7929-845-108, carrie.deverell@astrazeneca.com