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SOURCE: Reuters
Lilly Asbestos-Related Cancer Drug OK'd
FDA approves Alimta
Eli Lilly and Co. said on Thursday that U.S. regulators approved its treatment for asbestos-related cancer, a condition known as malignant pleural mesothelioma, which affects as many as 15,000 people worldwide a year.
The Indianapolis-based drug company said the drug, Alimta, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) for use with cisplatin, a standard chemotherapy, in patients who are not candidates for surgery. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs and is typically lethal.
Lilly said patients usually do not learn they have the condition until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage, when treatment with surgery or radiation is not an option.
A clinical trial of 448 patients showed patients taking Alimta plus cisplatin survived on average 12.1 months, compared with 9.3 months in patients taking cisplatin alone.
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Cisplatin treatment regimen..
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