Novartis’ Glivec successful in treating tumours, study shows

Novartis has found its medication Glivec (imatinib) can reduce the rate of a life-threatening cancer returning.

A phase III trial of the drug found patients who took it after surgery had a significantly lower chance of kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumours returning, compared to those who took the placebo.

The report, which was published yesterday online and is to appear in a future issue of the Lancet, discovered 98 per cent of people receiving 400 mg of the medication once a day remained tumour-free for 12 months after surgery.

Proving to have a low rate of serious adverse events, the investigation also revealed the drug was generally well-tolerated and safe.

Ronald Dematteo from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center explained standard chemotherapeutic agents have been ineffective aiding the condition in the past.

“By treating patients with Glivec after removal of their initial tumour, we can proactively impact the course of this disease by delaying – and in some patients possibly preventing – the return of the cancer,” he remarked.

Last month, Novartis shareholders approved the company’s board of directors’ recommendations to increase dividend payment for 2008 by 25 per cent.