Eli Lilly’s Alimta study shows improved cancer survival

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer have a better survival rate when they take Alimta (pemetrexed for injection) with cisplatin versus Gemzar (gemcitabine HCl for injection) plus cisplatin, Eli Lilly says.

The result of its phase III study trial met its primary endpoint of non-inferiority relative to overall survival and are published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Lead author Giorgio Scagliotti, from Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences Thoracic Oncology Unit, University of Torino, said non-small lung cancer had ben treated as one disease.

He added: “This study confirms that histology, or tumour type, can provide a clue as to which treatment regimen works best for a particular tumour type.”

He went on to say that the study suggested therapies could be tailored, which could improve outcomes.

Cancer Research UK noted that it was sometimes difficult to diagnose which non-small cell lung cancer a patient has.