J&J's Doxil plus docetaxel improves TTP

Results from a Phase III study show that patients with metastatic breast cancer who were treated previously with an anthracycline in the adjuvant setting experienced a significant improvement in time-to-disease progression and overall response rates after receiving Johnson & Johnson's Doxil (doxorubicin HCl liposome injection) plus docetaxel versus docetaxel alone.

Results from this randomized, parallel-group, open-label, multicenter study were presented by the US health care major at the 31st annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The study included only patients previously treated with anthracyclines who had a disease-free interval of at least one year.

The trial found that patients treated with the Doxil and docetaxel combination had a 35% risk reduction for developing disease progression compared with docetaxel alone (p=0.000001). There is an almost three-month improvement in median TTP for patients treated with the combination compared with docetaxel monotherapy (9.8 vs 7.0 months, respectively).