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Encouraging Results for Mesothelioma Patients Treated with ALIMTA®
SEOUL, KOREA — October 15, 2007 — Results from two open label studies were presented at the 12th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Seoul, Korea, on the benefits of treating mesothelioma patients with the drug, ALIMTA®. ALIMTA® works by blocking specific enzymes thought to play a role in the rapid growth of mesothelioma, a tumor of the lining of the lung. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is almost always caused from exposure to asbestos and has a long latency period (10–40 years from first exposure) before first symptoms begin to appear.
According to reports, the studies show patients experienced one–year survival rates above 50 percent when treated with ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) or ALIMTA®–based regimens for advanced or metastatic non–small cell cancer mesothelioma in both a first line and second line setting. (Data Affirms Benefit of ALIMTA® For Mesothelioma, September 5, 2007)
“This is data showing that ALIMTA® not only provides excellent outcomes but also a favorable quality
of life in pretreated patients with non–small cell lung cancer,”
said Dr.Kaoru Kubota
of the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Kawisha, Japan, and the study’s principal investigator.
Mesothelioma patients participated in one of the largest studies ever conducted in a Japanese multicenter phase II trial. It involved 2,023 patients with small cell cancer taking ALIMTA®, ALIMTA® combined with carboplatin, or ALIMTA® and cisplatin. Both carboplatin and cisplatin are chemotherapy drugs that are given as a treatment for some types of cancer. With all three combinations, mesothelioma patients survived for a year on average, with the combination of ALIMTA® and cisplatin producing a somewhat better result. These mesothelioma patients were treated in a first line setting—a medical therapy recommended for the initial treatment of a disease, sign or symptom. (Data Affirm Benefit of ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) for Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Sept 4, 2007)
Another study involved 988 mesothelioma patients treated in a second line setting. Second line treatment is any treatment that addresses a recurrence of a disease. Mesothelioma patients who participated in this study were given the same combination of drugs and chemotherapy, and also experienced a significant one–year survival rate. Both of these studies were “open label” clinical trials, meaning that both the researchers and participants know which drugs and treatment are being administered. (Data Affirm Benefit of ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) for Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Sept 4, 2007)
“The initial clinical trial results for ALIMTA® in malignant pleural mesothelioma were definitely
considered a medical breakthrough when they were unveiled just three years ago,”
said Richard
Gaynor, M.D., vice president, cancer research and global oncology platform leader for Lilly. “It
is encouraging that these open label studies show real world patient treatment outcomes that are consistent
with those from the controlled clinical research environment. In my opinion, this is clinically meaningful
information to the practicing oncologist.”
(Data
Affirm Benefit of ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) for Patients With Malignant Pleural
Mesothelioma, Sept 4, 2007)
Mesothelioma and Your Legal Case
Brayton Purcell is concerned about the health effects of occupational asbestos exposure. If you have been exposed to asbestos and developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, another asbestos–related cancer or asbestosis, please feel free to contact us. We have been helping asbestos victims for more than 24 years, and offer a free review of your case as well as information and resources.
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