Sanofi-Aventis announces positive Taxotere results

Sanofi-Aventis has announced the results of its Tax 327 phase III clinical trial of Taxotere (doxetaxel) at the Asco Prostate Cancer Symposium.

The company reported that patients with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (mHRPC) administered with 75 mg/sq metre of Taxotere-prednisone thrice-weekly exhibited improved survival rate compared to those receiving mitoxantrone-prednisone.

Patients showed a 21 per cent reduction of risk of death when treated with the Taxotere-prednisone regimen, results consistent with the original analysis of data.

Taxotere is currently approved for the treatment of five different areas of oncology, including breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, gastric cancer and head and neck cancer.

Dr Ian Tannock, co-chair of the Tax 327 study, said: “This update of the Tax 327 study has demonstrated significantly improved survival for all patients and for those without pain or with high PSA [prostate specific antigen] level.”

He added that these results showed this treatment regiment to be the first-line standard of care with patients suffering with this form of advanced prostate cancer.

Last month, Sanofi-Aventis announced the results of a phase III clinical trial showing that S-1, an orally administered anticancer compound, reduced the risk of death in patients with gastric cancer by 32 per cent when compared to surgery alone.