Novartis buoyed by trial success in early-stage breast cancer
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Frankfurt: Novartis's Kisqali breast cancer drug cut the risk of recurrence in women who were diagnosed at an early stage of the disease in a pivotal trial, providing a confidence boost for the drugmaker's growth prospects.
The Swiss firm's shares jumped 5.8 percent on Monday to a four-week high by 0734 GMT, after it said a panel of independent supervisors recommended stopping the trial early because an interim analysis had shown a clear benefit.
The late-stage trial of the drug in a type of cancer that grows in response to hormones showed that Kisqali significantly cut the risk of recurrence when used with standard endocrine therapy, rather than endocrine therapy alone, the firm added.
'Kisqali has been approved to treat hormone-driven breast cancer that has spread to other body parts, where it has taken market share from Pfizer's Ibrance.
But the earlier-stage setting, when tumours can still be surgically removed, is seen as a much larger market. Rival drug Verzenio by Eli Lilly has approval in the early setting for women at high risk of recurrence after surgery.
Detailed trial results will be presented at a medical conference, Novartis said, without identifying the meeting or its timing. It will engage with regulators across the world to seek approval for wider use, the firm added.
Read also: Novartis gets CDSCO panel nod for Phase III CT of anticancer drug Ianalumab
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