U.S. FDA clears wider use for Sanofi colon cancer drug Eloxatin

French drugmaker Sanofi-Synthelabo SA won U.S. approval to promote its drug Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) for first-line treatment of metastatic colon cancer, a Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said on Friday.

Eloxatin already had U.S. approval for use in treating advanced colon cancer after initial chemotherapy failed. While physicians may already be prescribing Eloxatin as initial treatment, the new FDA approval allows Sanofi to promote the drug in the United States specifically for that use. Eloxatin is sold in more than 60 countries. Earlier this week, Sanofi won a broader approval for Eloxatin in Europe.(Source: Reuters Health: January 12, 2004: Oncolink)