Sunday, July 29, 2007 New anti-kidney cancer drug launched
A NEW medicine to treat kidney cancer was introduced to the Philippine market by a pharmaceutical company which touted the new drugs as a “pioneering treatment effective in prolonging the lives of liver cancer patients.”
Bayer Schering Pharma (DSP) launched sorafenib, an oral multi-kinase inhibitor drug for kidney cancer, as possible medicine for liver cancer as well.
“Sorafebin is currently licensed for the treatment of kidney cancer. Primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the second tumor type in which it has been proven safe and effective,” said Dr. Luis Abola, medical director of BSP.
According to Abola, the medicine has yet to be approved for HCC by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) but they are hoping that by December, Bfad would give its approval.
He said once approved for treatment of liver cancer, Sorafenib will be another significant medical breakthrough.
“It is the first systematic agent to systematically improve overall survival in patients with HCC, or primary liver cancer. It is also the first product to succeed in improving overall survival after 30 years or research and over 100 randomized controlled trials,” Abola said.
Sorafenib is approved in more than 50 countries for treatment of advanced kidney cancer — including the US where its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval in 2005 while the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) likewise gave its nod the next year for use by countries in the European Union (EU).
Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of about 11 percent in the US.
It is the second most common cause of death in the Asia-Pacific region, responsible for 396,000 deaths annually and particularly common in China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea with 500,000 new cases found every year.
In the Philippines, it is the fourth most common type of cancer based on the number of patients and second most prevalent cause of death among males and seventh among women. (AH/Sunnex)
