New drug offers hope to breast cancer sufferers

A new drug which targets advanced breast cancer that fails to respond to the currently available drugs has given researchers encouraging data during advanced human trials.

Trials of GlaxoSmithKline's drug Tykerb were stopped early after positive results were seen. The objective of the trial was to show that the patients who were taking the oral drug in conjunction with chemotherapy experienced a 50 per cent delay in the progress of their tumour when compared to the control group.

Mikael von Euler, vice president of the pharmaceutical company's European clinical development branch, said it was the review committee which deemed it reasonable to stop the study at the time. Speaking to The Times, Dr von Euler said the trial was trying to find out whether the drug together with chemotherapy was better than chemotherapy on its own.

GSK is working with a small molecule which when penetrates the cancerous cell and stops it from dividing and maturing, and possibly also helps break down the cell's defensive mechanism in the hope that it dies, Dr von Euler explained.

He expressed confidence that the drug can work both in conjunction with chemotherapy as well as on its own. Asked whether this drug is a treatment or a cure, Dr von Euler answered that if the cancer is advanced, the drug can be considered as a treatment. On the other hand, if the tumour is caught early, it is hoped that the drug will become a cure.

The company is now preparing the necessary data to submit to the medicine regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States, hopefully later this year, Dr von Euler said, adding that the full data of the trial will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Atlanta next month.

Around 200 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Malta every year. In 2004, 61 women succumbed to the disease.