Aventis says drug helps fight advanced lung cancer

Franco-German drugmaker Aventis SA said on Tuesday a recent study showed that Taxotere in combination with chemotherapy agent cisplatin improved the survival rate of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Results of the phase III Japanese study showed that Taxotere administered with cisplatin doubled the 2-year survival rate versus the standard treatment with vindesine, also in combination with cisplatin. Aventis said the results were consistent with results published last August in which Taxotere and cisplatin showed a more favourable survival, quality of life and response rate compared with a widely used standard vinorelbine plus cisplatin.(Source: Reuters Health: January 20, 2004: Oncolink)