Breast cancer therapies get nod

Breast cancer is making headlines today: Eli Lilly got the FDA's nod to market its osteoporosis drug Evista as a breast cancer preventative, and Genentech got word that the agency will consider its colon-and-lung cancer drug Avastin for breast cancer treatment.

Evista, classified as an estrogen agonist/antagonist, now can be sold specifically to prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients and in postmenopausal patients at high risk of invasive tumors. The risk of both osteoporosis and breast cancer increases dramatically after menopause. Avastin's usefulness against breast cancer will be debated at an FDA advisory committee meeting December 4-5. The drug already is used off-label against the disease; its second quarter sales amounted to $564 million.

- see Eli Lilly's release
- read the Indianapolis Star report
- the AP has this report on Avastin

Related Articles:
Lilly's Evista fails to prevent heart attacks. Report
Study points to serious risks from Evista. Report