77% of patients on RAD001 achieve stable pancreatic NET tumors

Novartis' RAD001 (everolimus) alone and in combination with Sandostatin LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) controls tumor growth in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, a rare and difficult-to-treat form of cancer.

In the trial, results from which were presented at the 33rd European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, in Stockholm, Sweden, patients with pancreatic NET who became resistant to chemotherapy were given either daily RAD001 combined with Novartis' monthly Sandostatin LAR Depot or daily RAD001 alone. The results showed that 82% of patients receiving combination therapy and 77% getting monotherapy had tumors that either decreased in size or remained stable.

"Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors cause debilitating symptoms related to hormone production and typically claim the lives of patients within five years despite treatment with chemotherapy, which is the current standard of care," said James Yao, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. RAD001 is a once-daily oral therapy that continuously inhibits the mTOR protein, a central regulator of cell division and tumor blood vessel growth.