Canadian health authorities approve Abraxane plus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Regulatory agency Health Canada has approved US biotech company Celgene’s (Nasdaq: CELG) Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension), and gemcitabine, marketed by US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), for first-line treatment of adults with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

This will be the first new approved treatment for this indication in Canada for 18 years, and is based on a study involving 861 chemotherapy-naive patients with this kind of cancer which showed a statistically significant improvement in median overall survival with Abraxane and gemcitabine, compared to gemcitabine alone. The combination of the two treatments led to a 28% overall reduction in the risk of death.

Malcolm Moore, program head of medical oncology and hematology and director at the McCain Centre for Pancreatic Cancer at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, said: "This approval will certainly have an impact on the way physicians manage this disease in the future.  Pancreatic cancer is a tough one to deal with; patients are desperate and physicians are on the lookout for new advances. The addition of Abraxane  to gemcitabine has demonstrated significant benefits in overall survival and this gives our patients hope."