Novartis drug Femara ‘is superior to tamoxifen’

Novartis’ drug Femara (letrozole) has been lauded as a superior long-term alternative to the drug tamoxifen in the treatment of breast cancer surgery in post-menopausal women.

According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, five-year use of Femara as an upfront treatment following surgery is more effective than tamoxifen in post-menopausal women recovering from early-stage breast cancer.

Trials conducted by the Breast International Group and the International Breast Cancer Study Group were referred to in the journal.

“Letrozole is the only aromatase inhibitor versus tamoxifen to demonstrate early and significant reduction in the risk of distant metastases [and] significant improvement in disease-free survival,” stated Henning Mouridsen, professor of Oncology at the Copenhagen University Hospital.

In other positive news for Novartis this week, the firm revealed that its multiple sclerosis treatment Extavia has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration.