Gemzar for Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

INDIANAPOLIS--Eli Lilly and Company's Gemzar (gemcitabine) isnow available for use in the treatment of advanced pancreaticcancer.

"As the first new treatment for pancreatic cancer in severaldecades, Gemzar represents hope for patients and a breakthroughfor Lilly scientists," said August M. Watanabe, MD, executivevice president of the company.

Gemzar, a nucleoside analog, is the first chemotherapy agent toreceive FDA clearance based on a unique clinical endpoint--clinicalbenefit response--designed to objectively assess the effect ofthe drug on measured disease-related symptoms. In two clinicaltrials, about one quarter of patients treated with Gemzar demonstratedimprovement in symptoms.

Gemzar is indicated as first-line treatment for patients withlocally advanced (nonresectable stage II or III) or metastatic(stage IV) adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, and is also indicatedfor patients previously treated with fluorouracil.