Novartis, Genentech breast cancer drugs succeed in trials

Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.

Promising news for patients with breast cancer. New drug therapies have shown success in keeping breast cancer from worsening in patients. When paired with Novartis AG’s cancer drug Afinitor, hormonal therapy doubled the time breast cancer patients lived without tumor growth and prevented worsening of the disease by 57 percent in a Phase III study of Afinitor. The drug targets a key protein that regulates tumor cell division and metabolism.

Meanwhile, San Fransisco-based Genentech also had success with its mid-stage breast cancer trial for Herceptin, which reduced the risk of death or worsening in patients by 41 percent.

Roche “open to tiered pricing.” Pharma giant Roche is getting ready to begin discounting some of its specialty biological drugs, including its cancer drug Mabthera, in developing countries. In response to growing commercial pressure to expand into growing emerging markets, other drug companies have also begun discounting in other countries in the past few years, but mainly for cheaper drugs used in primary care.

#health20. Health IT enthusiasts flocked to San Fransisco over the weekend for the fifth annual Health 2.0 conference, which is now under way. Speakers and attendees will be tweeting using #health20, if you care to follow along.

Bio and the gender gap. Is the biotech industry nearing a gender balance? Not any time soon, says Luke Timmerman, but women have the right idea about stimulating innovation through networking and a plain old good time.

BMY still “100 percent pharma.” Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) is equipped with $10 million in cash and ready to acquire mid-sized drug companies, remaining “100 percent pharma,” while other companies turn to genetics and animal and consumer health products for profit growth, according to CEO Lamberto Andreotti.