Study Shows VELCADE(R) Plus DOXIL(R) Improves Survival In Previously Treated Patients With Multiple Myeloma

The
International Myeloma Foundation (IMF)-supporting research and providing
education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers
and physicians-today said that data from a follow-up to a Phase 3 multi-
national clinical trial shows the combination of DOXIL(R) with VELCADE(R)
improves the probability of survival by 41%. The follow-up study also
showed no increase in serious side effects such as neuropathy with the
addition of DOXIL to the VELCADE. The findings were presented at the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) global cancer meeting in
Chicago.



The VELCADE/DOXIL combination was approved by the FDA just last month
as a new treatment option for myeloma patients who have relapsed or who
have not responded to at least one other course of treatment. The drugs
work in combination because there is evidence that VELCADE increases the
effectiveness of DOXIL against cancer cells and DOXIL does the same for
VELCADE.



"'Improved survival' are words that every cancer patient wants to hear,
and we are encouraged to have this new option to offer patients with peer
reviewed data behind it," said Susie Novis, president and co-founder of the
IMF. "Until there is a cure, we are moving myeloma toward becoming a
chronic disease with long term survival achieved by using drugs in
combination and in sequence. The VELCADE/DOXIL combination fits perfectly
into this paradigm and offers an important and powerful new opportunity to
extend and improve patients' lives."



DOXIL is a specially (liposomal) formulated version of the chemotherapy
agent doxorubicin, and is approved for use in other forms of cancer.
VELCADE, bortezomib, is approved for myeloma patients who have relapsed or
not responded to a previous course of treatment. The findings come from a
14 month follow-up to a multi-national trial involving nearly 650 patients.



Myeloma, also called multiple myeloma, is a cancer of the bone marrow
that affects production of red cells, white cells and stem cells. It
affects an estimated 750,000 people worldwide, and in industrialized
countries it is being diagnosed in growing numbers and in increasingly
younger people.



ABOUT The International Myeloma Foundation



The International Myeloma Foundation is the oldest and largest myeloma
organization, reaching more than 135,000 members in 113 countries
worldwide. A 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the
quality of life of myeloma patients and their families, the IMF focuses on
four key areas: research, education, support and advocacy. To date, the IMF
has conducted more than 100 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a
world-renowned hotline, and operates Bank on a Cure(R), a unique gene bank
to advance myeloma research.


The International Myeloma Foundation

myeloma


View drug information on Doxil; Velcade.

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