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Glivec ''helps reduce reoccurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumours''

19 Mar 2009

A Novartis product has been found to reduce the risk of cancer reoccurring in those with gastrointestinal tumours (GIST patients).

According to a report published in medical journal the Lancet, Glivec (imanitib) provided a 98 per cent return-free one-year survival rate for such individuals, versus an 83 per cent rate for those on placebo.

The phase III trial used to discover the efficacy of post-surgery Glivec use was a double-blind, randomised study including 713 patients who had tumours removed.

Overall, the daily dose of Glivec was well-tolerated and resulted in a low rate of serious adverse effects, Novartis reported.

"By treating patients with Glivec after removal of their initial tumour, we can proactively impact the course of this disease by delaying and in some patients possibly preventing, the return of the cancer," said Dr Ronald DeMatteo of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, US.

Meanwhile, last month saw Novartis report that another of its products, Zometa (zoledronic acid), reduces the risk of breast cancer reoccurring in pre-menopause women.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine published these figures from a phase III trial.