Novartis says Afinitor shows tumour shrinking potential

Novartis has stated Afinitor (everolimus) continues to reveal potential for treating a number of different cancers.

Data from a recent study shows the tablets are able to shrink the tumours of 33 per cent of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin’s disease.

Although appropriate therapy can cure up to 60 per cent of sufferers, there is a high risk of relapse once treatment is completed and there is currently no remedy to help with this problem.

The company has now started a phase III trial to see how effective the medication is at diffusing large B-cell lymphoma, which is the most common NHL.

Dr Alessandro Riva is executive vice-president of Novartis’ oncology development department and commented on the latest data.

“[It shows] an antitumor effect in lymphoma that support the rationale for a phase III study of Afinitor to prevent relapse in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, where there is a significant unmet medical need,” he said.

Earlier this month, Novartis released results from investigations showing that its drug Tasigna (nilotinib) demonstrated potential at treating chronic myeloid leukaemia.