Amgen suspends motesanib trial

Amgen Inc.’s decision to suspend a clinical trial of its experimental cancer drug motesanib because of higher deaths among patients sets back the company’s efforts to expand in the market for oncology treatments.

Thousand Oaks-based Amgen and Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. were testing the drug as a first-line treatment in combination with chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer, the companies said this week.

The trial was halted after an independent monitoring committee’s review of 600 patients found higher early mortality rates among those getting the drug compared with those on a placebo.

Shares of Amgen fell $3.51, or 6.5%, to $50.13.