Sanofi Grows Oncology Business; Eloxatin Launch

Sanofi has a stated ambition to build a broad-ranging oncology franchise, so it is a fillip for the company that its anticancer drug Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) has been launched in its first market, France, for the second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer mortality after lung cancer in industrialized countries, and accounts for tens of thousands of deaths each year in the European Union and the USA. The incidence appears to be rising. About 40% of those diagnosed with colorectal cancer live for five years, which compares favorably with cancers of the lung, pancreas, esophagus and stomach (all less than 10%), but less favorably with breast, bladder, skin and cervical cancers (all more than 50%).

The company notes that oxaliplatin is the first diaminocyclohexane-platinum compound to come to market, and shows improved tolerance over the gold-standard platinum drug, cisplatin. Cisplatin is a mainstay in oncology but, like other platinum compounds, is associated with a range of toxicities, notably nausea and vomiting.