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Pharmaceutical industry

Taxotere Approved in Norway for Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Norwegian Medicines Control Authority has approved Taxotere, a new anticancer agent, for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in patients who have received previous anthracycline-containing therapy or are not suitable for it. This approval makes Norway the first European country to approve Taxotere, providing a new treatment option for breast cancer patients in the region. According to Erik Forfang, General Manager of RPR Norway, "Breast cancer patients in Norway will now have a new treatment option giving them hope for the future." Taxotere has been shown to have a 49% overall response rate in Phase II clinical trials as a single agent in the treatment of advanced breast cancer resistant to common treatments.

Key Takeaways:

  • Taxotere has been approved in Norway for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in patients who have received previous anthracycline-containing therapy or are not suitable for it.
  • The approval makes Norway the first European country to approve Taxotere, providing a new treatment option for breast cancer patients in the region.
  • Taxotere has shown a 49% overall response rate in Phase II clinical trials as a single agent in the treatment of advanced breast cancer resistant to common treatments.
  • Worldwide, one in nine women can expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
  • Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Norway, with over 2,200 new cases diagnosed and about 750 deaths reported each year.
  • Taxotere has been studied extensively in 35 clinical trials involving 2,500 patients worldwide, with results consistent and reproducible across North America and Europe.
  • The recommended dosage of Taxotere is 100mg/m2 administered intravenously for one hour every three weeks.
  • Potential side effects of Taxotere include hair loss, reduced white blood cell count, skin rash, fluid retention, hypersensitivity, nausea, and diarrhea.
  • Ongoing clinical trials are investigating the efficacy of Taxotere in pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, soft-tissue sarcoma, and as a first-line treatment in combination with other chemotherapy agents to treat breast and non-small cell lung cancer.

Statistics:

  • 49% overall response rate of Taxotere in Phase II clinical trials as a single agent in the treatment of advanced breast cancer resistant to common treatments.
  • 2,500 patients involved in the 35 clinical trials of Taxotere worldwide.
  • 1 in 9 women worldwide can expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
  • Over 2,200 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed annually in Norway.
  • Approximately 750 deaths from breast cancer reported annually in Norway.

Sources:

  • "PRNewswire" - October 30, 1995
  • Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc. press releases
  • http://www.prnewswire.com/cnoc/exec/menu?764050

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