taxotere approval

Aventis's chemo drug Taxotere (Docetaxel) has just been approved by the FDA for advanced hormone refractory prostrate cancer . Taxotere is similar to Taxol and is also sourced from the Yew tree .
Independent research by Dr Robert Nagourney of Longbeach Ca using human cancer tissue (Ex-vivo)found Solbecs BEC to have a similar action to Taxol , only more potent . Here is part of the article about Taxoteres approval. It may give some insight into Solbecs potential .


"This approval for Taxotere provides evidence that our drug can positively impact the lives of men around the world with this disease," Frank Douglas, a vice president for Aventis, said in a statement.

Last year, the drug took in worldwide sales of about $1.56 billion (1.3 billion euros) and held between 60 and 80 percent of global market share, according to Aventis.

Company officials have said approval for additional cancer uses could boost Taxotere sales to more than $3.6 billion (3 billion euros) during the next five years. Overall cancer drug sales should be more than $9.6 billion (8 billion euros) by 2010, officials said.

Prostate cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in men, according to the FDA. This year about 230,900 more men will be diagnosed with the disease and 29,900 will die from it, the American Cancer Society estimates.

A clinical trial of more than 1,000 patients compared Taxotere plus prednisone to another combination, prednisone and the cancer drug mitoxantrone. Patients given the Taxotere combination survived about 2.5 months longer than the other patients, the FDA said.