Novartis drug Glivec to be made available in Gist trial

Novartis has announced that investigators involved in a major clinical trial will administer patients with Glivec following a positive interim analysis of the compound.

This analysis showed the compound reducing the risk of a recurrence in cancer post-surgery in patients with Kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumours (Gist).

Patients administered with Glivec for a year following surgery showed no recurrence of cancer in 97 per cent of cases, compared to 83 per cent of cases in those administered with a placebo.

Glivec has already been shown to be an effective therapy in patients with advanced metastatic or unresectable Kit-positive Gist, with the US National Institutes of Health reportedly proclaiming the recent analysis as “excellent news”.

Diane Young, head of global medical affairs at Novartis Oncology, said: “With these new data, we see that Glivec may help patients with early Gist”

She added that the company would now collaborate with investigators to submit an application to gain approval from the regulators for the compound as an adjuvant treatment for patients with Gist.

In December 2006, Novartis reported that Glivec had demonstrated the highest overall survival rate over five years in patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia.