Novartis has discontinued a phase 3 trial assessing whether its TKI nilotinib (Tasigna) might be a more effective first-line therapy than imatinib (Gleevec) in patients with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Nilotinib has shown better efficacy than imatinib in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia and is approved for this indication. Investigators were disappointed that nilotinib did not similarly outperform imatinib in GIST.
