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Novartis Drug Afinitor May Be A Blockbuster Breast Cancer Treatment
Posted September 27, 2011
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By Kapitall
By Alexander Crawford
According to data just released from a Phase III study of Novartis' (NVS) drug Afinitor, the drug, used together with hormonal therapy, was shown to more than double the time women with a form of advanced breast cancer lived without tumor growth. It also reduced the risk of cancer progression by 57%. Some analysts expect that, given regulatory approvals, the drug will earn over $1 billion annually for Novartis.
If marketed, this will be the fourth tumor type treated by Afinitor, according to Bloomberg. The drug is already approved in the US for tumors of the kidney, pancreas, and brain. The drug works by blocking a protein mTOR, which is needed for cancer cells to grow and multiply.
An analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, Tim Race, said that European approval is likely given the trial results, but that the U.S. FDA may want to see longer-term data. Race cited the FDA's decision in June to withdraw marketing approval from Roche's Avastin in breast cancer after longer-term studies showed the drug didn't prolong survival compared to chemotherapy. "That's why the market's going to be a little bit careful with this data, and not price it in fully until they see a regulatory approval," Race told Bloomberg. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
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