SANOFI AVENTIS PUBLISHES DATA ON TAXOTERE

Sanofi-aventis has published results showing its breast cancer treatment Taxotere outperformed paclitaxel, which is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb under the brand name Taxol.

In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found Taxotere helped women with advanced breast cancer live longer and slowed the progression of their disease compared with women treated with paclitaxel. Women enrolled in the study, all of whom had cancers that had progressed despite previous chemotherapy, were given either a one-hour intravenous infusion every 21 days of 100 mg per square meter of Taxotere or a three-hour intravenous infusion every 21 days of 175 mg per square meter of paclitaxel.

Researchers found that women in the Taxotere group lived for an average of 15.4 months, had an average of 5.7 months for their disease to progress, and responded to the treatment for an average of 7.5 months. Women in the paclitaxel group, lived an average of 12.7 months, had an average of 3.6 months for their disease to progress, and responded to the treatment for an average of 4.6 months.