Xeloda pancreatic cancer survival benefit:
This article was originally published in Pharmaceutical Approvals Monthly
Executive Summary
Roche's oral fluoropyrimidine agent Xeloda (capecitabine) significantly prolongs survival in first-line pancreatic cancer when added to standard chemotherapy, the firm reports Nov. 2. Data from a 533-patient Phase III trial showed that patients receiving Xeloda in combination with gemcitabine had a 1.4 month median survival benefit compared to gemcitabine alone (7.4 months vs. 6 months; hazard ratio=0.80). The trial is one of nine Xeloda combination studies partially funded by Roche and ongoing at several National Comprehensive Cancer Network institutions. Another oral oncologic, Genentech/OSI's Tarceva (erlotinib), was approved Nov. 2 for use in pancreatic cancer (see Approvals In Brief)...