A New Chemotherapy Drug For Advanced Breast Cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new chemotherapy drug called Ixempra (ixabepilone) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

The announcement was made to the press by Bristol-Myers Squibb on 17th October, the maker of the new drug, who also said the drug will be available “within days”.

The drug was approved to treat patients with locally advanced breast cancer or with cancer that has started spreading to other parts of the body (metastatic), and is resistant or refractory to anthracyclines, taxanes, and capecitabine.

The FDA has also approved Ixempra for use with Xeloda (capecitabine) for two particular types of patient. One is where the cancer has developed resistance to an anthracycline and a taxane, and the other is where the cancer has become resistant to taxane and there are medical reasons why anthracycline cannot be used.

Dr Linda Vahdat, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Associate Attending Physician, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said:

“Previously, patients with aggressive metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer no longer responding to currently available chemotherapies had limited treatment options.”

“The approval of Ixempra means that we now have an important new option for patients with metastatic breast cancer who have rapidly progressed through currently approved chemotherapies.” Read More

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