An interim analysis (second interim analysis) for overall survival was conducted at 367 deaths in 903 patients. The nominal alpha value for this analysis was 0.0094. The median survival was 19.3 months for patients randomised to sorafenib compared to 15.9 months for placebo patients (HR = 0.77; 95 % CI: 0.63 - 0.95; p = 0.015). At the time of this analysis, about 200 patients had crossed-over to sorafenib from the placebo group.

Study 2 was a Phase II, discontinuation study in patients with metastatic malignancies, including RCC. Patients with stable disease on therapy with sorafenib were randomised to placebo or continued sorafenib therapy. Progression-free survival in patients with RCC was significantly longer in the sorafenib group (163 days) than in the placebo group (41 days) (p = 0.0001, HR = 0.29).

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC)

Study 5 (study 14295) was a Phase III, international, multi-centre, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial in 417 patients with locally advanced or metastatic DTC refractory to radioactive iodine. Progression-free survival (PFS) as eva luated by a blinded independent radiological review using RECIST criteria was the primary endpoint of the study. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), tumour response rate and duration of response. Following progression, patients were allowed to receive open label sorafenib.

Patients were included in the study if they experienced progression within 14 months of enrollment and had DTC refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI). DTC refractory to RAI was defined as having a lesion without iodine uptake on a RAI scan, or receiving cumulative RAI ≥ 22.2 GBq, or experiencing a progression after a RAI treatment within 16 months of enrollment or after two RAI treatments within 16 months of each other.

Baseline demographics and patient characteristics were well balanced for both treatment groups. Metastases were present in the lungs in 86%, lymph node in 51% and bone in 27% of the patients. The median delivered cumulative radioactive iodine activity before enrollment was approximately 14.8 GBq. Majority of patients had papillary carcinoma (56.8%), followed by follicular (25.4%) and poorly differentiated carcinoma (9.6%).

Median PFS time was 10.8 months in the sorafenib group compared to 5.8 months in the placebo group (HR=0.587; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.454, 0.758; one-sided p <0.0001).

The effect of sorafenib on PFS was consistent independent of geographic region, age above or below 60 years, gender, histological subtype, and presence or absence of bone metastasis.

In an overall survival analysis conducted 9 months after the data cut-off for the final PFS analysis there was no statically significant difference in overall survival between the treatment groups (HR=0.884; 95% CI: 0.633, 1.236, one-sided p value of 0.236). The median OS was not reached in the sorafenib arm and was 36.5 months in the placebo arm. One hundred fifty seven (75%) patients randomised to placebo and 61 (30%) patients randomised to sorafenib received open-label sorafenib.

The median duration of therapy in the double-blind period was 46 weeks (range 0.3-135) for patients receiving sorafenib and 28 weeks (range 1.7–132) for patients rece