The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7329 p841
11 December 2004

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Study shows Glivec has long-term efficacy

Patients treated with Glivec (imatinib) maintain their response to therapy long term, new data presented this week at the American Society of Haematology (ASH) in San Diego, California, have indicated. The patients were newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase. Data at 42 months from the IRIS (International Randomized IFN versus STI571) study show 91 per cent overall survival and 98 per cent progression-free survival in patients with near absence of molecular-level chronic myeloid leukaemia.

A second study, presented at the same meeting, showed that a similar group of patients on a 800mg per day dose achieved a greater molecular response and were more likely to achieve a complete cytogenetic response than patients on the currently recommended 400mg per day dose.