Novartis reports positive new phase III data for Afinitor

Novartis has reported clinical trial data that highlights the benefits offered by its drug Afinitor in the treatment of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Results from the phase III study, as published in The Lancet, showed that the everolimus tablet therapy was able to significantly reduce the size of non-cancerous kidney tumours – known as renal angiomyolipomas – associated with the condition.

Patients also experienced an absence of tumour progression, while data from a separate study showed that Afinitor was also able to shrink the size of TSC sufferers' subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, which are non-cancerous brain tumours.

Alessandro Riva, global head for oncology development and medical affairs at Novartis Oncology, said: "We strive to improve the lives of these patients with the goal of bringing the right treatment to the right patient across a broad range of diseases, based on patient need, not population size."

This comes after the company's new thalassaemia therapy Exjade received approval from the European Commission last month.