Re: Tarceva: New Drug Against Lung Cancer

From: J (quad_at_privacy.net)
Date: 11/21/04 

Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 18:46:00 -0500

http://static.highbeam.com/n/newsday/october012003/poorperformanceincancertestingosistarcevaineffecti/

 Poor Performance in Cancer Testing / OSIs Tarceva ineffective in combo with chemotherapy

Newsday; October 01, 2003; Randi F. Marshall

Poor Performance in Cancer Testing / OSIs Tarceva ineffective in combo with chemotherapy

By Randi F. Marshall. STAFF WRITER

As widely expected by most industry observers, a potential
new lung cancer treatment produced by Melville-based OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc.
failed to work in combination with chemotherapy, the company announced
yesterday.

The drug, Tarceva, did not improve survival rates in two studies involving
a total of 2,250 lung cancer patients. But the news did not surprise analysts,
investors or company executives, who noted that a similar anti-cancer drug,
Iressa, produced by AstraZeneca, failed in clinical trials with chemotherapy
last year.

"We anticipated these results," OSI chief executive Colin Goddard said
during a conference call yesterday. "I would have loved to be here this morning
peeling egg off my face for getting that wrong,

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