New Breast Cancer Drug Saves Lives, Study Shows
Tue Jun 8, 2004 11:18 AM ET
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new class of breast cancer drug that women can take after the standard five years of tamoxifen therapy saves lives as well as preventing the return of tumors, researchers from Canada reported on Tuesday.
Femara, made by Swiss drugmaker Novartis, reduced the risk of death by 39 percent in women who took it, compared with women who took a placebo.
It reduced the spread of cancer, called metastasis, by 40 percent, they told a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans.
The findings add to the evidence that the drugs, called aromatase inhibitors, are a valuable extra weapon in the arsenal against breast cancer, which will affect 1.2 million people globally this year and kill 40,000 in the United States alone.
Article: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5373546