Bayer tests Nexavar against lung cancer in Phase III

FRANKFURT, June 1 (Reuters) - Bayer BAYG.DE and Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX.O) have started a late-stage trial testing its drug hopeful Nexavar on lung tumours in a fresh attempt to get the treatment approved against the most common cancer form.

The study in the third and last phase of testing usually required for regulatory clearance will involve about 850 lung cancer patients who could not be helped by two or three previous treatments, the companies said on Monday.

Doubts were cast upon Nexavar's potential use against lung tumours in February 2008 when a previous Phase III study was halted because the pill failed to show the desired effects.

Bayer and Onyx said at the time they would have to analyse the study data to determine what impact it would have on other ongoing Nexavar lung cancer trials.

Every year, more than 1.3 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer globally.

As part of the new trial, one group of patients will be treated with Nexavar as a single treatment, while a control group will receive only a placebo.

Nexavar, which is approved for liver and kidney cancer in more than 70 countries, is Bayer's most promising pharmaceutical -- alongside anti-blood-clotting pill Xarelto -- with an annual sales potential of more than 2 billion euros ($2.85 billion).

The pill is also being tested on thyroid and gastric cancers as well as leukaemia.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger)