Sanofi-Aventis recommends Taxotere prior to chemo

Sanofi-Aventis has recommended the use of its drug Taxotere (docetaxel) in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF regimen) as an induction therapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

The firm backs the use of its drug prior to chemoradiotherapy and surgery, as outlined in the recent approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Approval for the compound in this setting followed the phase III Tax 324 trial which showed the safety and efficacy of the drug in SCCHN patients.

Marshall Posner, medical director of the head and neck oncology programme at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said: “The Tax 324 trial found that the addition of Taxotere to standard induction chemotherapy significantly improved patient survival, adding years to patients’ lives.”

He added that the regulatory approval of Taxotere for use with standard chemotherapy prior to surgery and chemoradiotherapy marks key progress in the treatment of patients with SCCHN.

Nancy Leupold, president and founder of Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer noted the difficulty in treating cancer of the neck and head and the low survival rates if the disease is not detected early.

Last month, Sanofi-Aventis reported positive clinical trial results of Taxotere as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.