NEW DATA REPORTED FOR XELODA PLUS OXALIPLATIN CANCER TREATMENT

New study data confirm that Xelox, a combination of Roche's Xeloda (capecitabine) and oxaliplatin, is as safe as the current standard treatment of intravenous 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin in adjuvant colon cancer patients (post-surgery). Moreover, Xelox was shown to reduce the number of hospital visits by more than 60 percent compared to the current standard therapy.

In 2004, colorectal cancer was one of the leading cancers and accounted for 13 percent of all cancers. It is estimated that more than 394,000 people die worldwide from colorectal cancer each year. Xeloda was approved in the EU for post-surgery treatment of colorectal cancer in April.

Previous Xelox studies, conducted in patients where the disease has spread have shown that it is well-tolerated. Xelox is also being investigated in a Phase III clinical trial program for the treatment of colorectal cancer, with over 4,000 patients from more than 30 countries involved.