Study shows Treanda stops cancer longer than standard therapy

Cephalon Inc’s cancer drug Treanda worked better than a standard chemotherapy regimen when paired with Roche Holding AG’s Rituxan to slow the progression of certain lymphomas in a study. Treanda stalled spread of the disease 20 months longer than a cocktail of four older cancer drugs when combined with Rituxan, according to data reported today at the American Society of Hematology meeting in New Orleans. Patients had cancers known as follicular, indolent or mantle-cell lymphomas. The findings may help Cephalon win permission to promote Treanda as a first-line treatment for those diseases, said Lesley Russell, the company’s chief medical officer. Cephalon, based in Frazer, Pennsylvania, had $75 million in revenue last year from Treanda, its fourth-biggest seller. Treanda is currently approved for use in patients with indolent B-cell non- Hodgkin lymphoma who haven’t responded well to previous therapies and those with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.