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| 14 December 2007 | 2007-12-14T22:05:00.0000000-00:00 |
| ARIMIDEX Significantly Superior to Tamoxifen in Reducing Risk Of Breast Cancer Returning and Increasing Disease-Free Survival
Landmark results from one of the world’s largest breast cancer trials, presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) USA, and published online in The Lancet Oncology, reinforce that ARIMIDEX (anastrozole) is significantly superior to tamoxifen in reducing the risk of breast cancer returning and in increasing disease-free survival (DFS) in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) early disease. | New 100-month data from the Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial, one of the world’s largest and longest-running breast cancer studies, demonstrate that, even approximately four years after treatment completion, the absolute reduction in the risk of all forms of disease recurrence continues to increase with ARIMIDEX compared with tamoxifen. This continuing reduction in risk means that ARIMIDEX is the first aromatase inhibitor (AI) to demonstrate a ‘carry over’ effect, i.e. the benefits of the drug continue to be apparent for many years after the period of active treatment.
Importantly, these 100-month data reveal that ARIMIDEX provides a significant prolongation in the time to distant recurrence in hormone receptor positive patients - an important surrogate marker for survival. Avoiding all forms of disease recurrence (local, contralateral or distant) is vital, as recurrence is associated with increased mortality. ARIMIDEX is the only aromatase inhibitor (AI) to demonstrate significantly superior DFS, time to recurrence, time to distant metastases and reduced incidence of contralateral breast cancer compared with tamoxifen – a benefit which increases over time and persists even after treatment ends.
Professor John Forbes, who presented the data today at SABCS, commented: “ATAC is a ground breaking study – it has led to a significant change in treatment strategies in breast cancer, with anastrozole now replacing tamoxifen as the standard of care in many countries. In countries where this is not so, these new data will seriously challenge the status quo, as they show us that the protective effect of anastrozole is present well beyond completion of treatment, providing an undisputable reason for starting treatment with anastrozole to give women the best chance of staying cancer-free.”
After a median follow-up of over 100 months) compared with tamoxifen, ARIMIDEX significantly:
- reduces the risk of all recurrences by 24% (HR 0.76 [0.67-0.87]; p=0.0001)
- improves disease free survival by 15% (HR 0.85 [0.76-0.94]; p=0.003)
- reduces the risk of distant metastases by 16% (HR 0.84 [0.72-0.97]; p=0.022)
- reduces the incidence of contralateral breast cancer by 40% (OR 0.60 [0.42-0.85]; p=0.004)
Prescribing ARIMIDEX from the start means fewer patients have to be told the devastating news that their breast cancer has recurred.
“The ATAC 100-month update reinforces the position of anastrozole as the standard of care for all postmenopausal women with hormone sensitive early breast cancer, irrespective of their recurrence risk – helping more women live free of breast cancer for longer,” commented Professor Anthony Howell, Christie Hospital, UK.
With nearly twice the duration of follow up of any other trial of adjuvant AIs, ATAC provides further information on the long term safety profile of anastrozole which remains predictable, with no long-term safety concerns. “These long-term follow-up data provide important information for physicians who can be confident that with anastrozole, their patients will benefit from a treatment that is highly effective over a sustained period, is well tolerated, and has a well understood safety profile,” added Professor Howell.
ARIMIDEX is approved in over 80 countries (including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) for the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive early invasive breast cancer. ARIMIDEX is approved worldwide for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive advanced breast cancer. ARIMIDEX worldwide sales reached $1,256 million for the nine months of 2007.
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4 Good Index.
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