Zeneca's Tamoxifen Cancer Studies Contradict U.S. Trial Results
Bloomberg News
July 9, 1998, 10:44 p.m. PT
London, July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Zeneca Group Plc's tamoxifen
drug has been shown to have no effect in preventing breast cancer
in women with a family history of the disease, according to two
studies published in today's edition of the Lancet magazine, The
Daily Telegraph reported. The studies contradict a 30 million
pound ($49 million) U.S. trial of the drug whose authors said in
April they had found ''a dramatic advantage'' for women using
tamoxifen, and that the anti-oestrogen drug could halve the risk
of breast cancer, the paper said. A British study begun in 1986
and led by Trevor Powles of the Royal Marsden Hospital reports
that of 2,500 women with a family history of breast cancer, the
drug and placebo groups were equally likely to develop the
disease; a second Italian study of 5,500 women with
hysterectomies also found no difference, the paper reported.
Treatments developed by Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly & Co.,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and others offer hope in the battle to
fight and prevent breast cancer, according to studies released
May 18 at a medical meeting in Los Angeles.
(Daily Telegraph 7/10 p. 6 www.telegraph.co.uk)
--Iain Rogers in the London newsroom (44 171) 330 7699 gc |
