New Colon Ca Agent Is Available in France

PARIS-Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Inc.'s Campto (irinotecan/CPT-11),the first new therapeutic agent for the treatment of colorectalcancer since the introduction of fluorouracil nearly 40 yearsago, is now available in France. France is the first country outsideJapan to approve this agent for marketing.

Topoisomerase I Inhibitor

Campto is a potent inhibitor of topoisomerase I, an enzyme essentialfor cell division. The drug is indicated for the treatment ofadvanced colorectal cancer that has failed standard chemotherapywith fluorouracil and folinic acid. Side effects include neutropeniaand moderate to severe diarrhea.

In a pivotal phase II trial completed last year, 20% of patients(32 of 156) had a significant response to Campto, 350 mg/m²IV every 3 weeks (one treatment cycle). The median duration ofresponse was 9.1 months (range, 1.6 to 17), and more than onethird of patients were free from disease progression for 6 months,the company said.

Look for a more in-depth report on this new agent in next month'sissue of ONCOLOGY NEWS INTERNATIONAL.