Endocyte's cancer drug meets main goal in lung cancer study

March 21 (Reuters) - Endocyte Inc said its experimental cancer drug, when used in combination with an approved treatment, improved survival rates without the disease worsening in a mid-stage study on patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.

The company said the risk of the disease worsening or death was reduced by 25 percent for patients treated with the drug combination, compared with patients who only took the approved treatment.

The trial tested the drug, vintafolide, in combination with a chemotherapy drug known as docetaxel in 199 patients who failed one prior treatment with chemotherapy.

The company's shares, which were halted prior to the news, closed at $14.64 on the Nasdaq on Thursday.

(Reporting By Vrinda Manocha in Bangalore; Editing by Don Sebastian)