Sanofi-Aventis Announces Positive Trial Data for Taxotere, Lovenox

Individual patient data from seven clinical trials showed that sanofi-aventis’ Taxotere had a significant overall survival benefit in treating patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with existing treatments, the company announced.

A meta-analysis of 2,867 patients demonstrated that Taxotere (docetaxel) was superior to vinca-alkaloid regimens in first-line treatment of NSCLC, sanofi-aventis said.

Taxotere is approved in the U.S. in combination with cisplatin to treat patients with metastatic NSCLC who have not received chemotherapy and as a single agent for patients after failure of chemotherapy. It also is approved to treat some breast cancers, prostate cancers, gastric cancers and head and neck cancers.

Taxotere is the company’s fourth-best-selling drug, with sales of $646 million in the second quarter of 2007, according to the company.