OSI's Tarceva makes strides in competition with Lilly drug (OSIP, LLY)
OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: OSIP) announced new data from its Phase III Saturn study of Tarceva, and it’s likely an incremental positive for the cancer drug over rival Eli Lilly & Co.’s (NYSE: LLY) drug Altima.
Tarceva, marketed with Roche, improved overall survival in lung cancer patients when used immediately after initial chemotherapy, OSI said. But details were not provided. The company is expected to present its data at the World Conference on Lung Cancer later this month.
Showing an overall survival benefit is an incremental positive, and is seen as another step toward getting Tarceva approved for treating non-small cell lung cancer. The drug already is approved in the U.S. and the European Union for treating pancreatic cancer.
Another small step toward a possible approval in non-small cell lung cancer patients also may help Tarceva increase its competitive position a bit versus Altima. But it is impossible to tell to what degree until the data is presented on July 31. — Mike Tarsala
