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BASEL (AFX) - Roche Holding AG said breast-cancer drug Herceptin can boost early survival chances when used after standard chemotherapy to tackle the notoriously aggressive HER-2 positive form of early breast cancer.
According to new study results, due to be published in Saturday's edition of medical journal The Lancet, taking Herceptin was roughly equivalent to saving one additional life for every 55 patients treated.
Around a fifth of women with early-stage breast cancer suffer from the HER-2 positive type of cancer, which is swiftly invasive and leaves only a meagre hope of survival.
Herceptin, marketed jointly by Roche and US biotech firm Genentech Inc, in which Roche holds a majority stake, is an engineered antibody that adheres to the so-called HER-2 protein on the tumour cell's surface.
But according to the study, there were ten cases of severe congestive heart failure among the Herceptin group -- a problem identified in previous studies with this drug.
Another question is cost-effectiveness, for a one-year course of Herceptin costs around 30,000 usd a year.
Herceptin (or trastuzumab) has already received approval in key markets for treating HER-2 cancer in its advanced stages. afx.zurich@afxnews.com afp/at/lam COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
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