Genzyme touts ‘personalized medicine’
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Assay for identifying patients likely to respond to non-small lung cancer drugs Tarceva (Genetech) and Iressa (AstraZeneca) are available through Genzyme's CLIA-certified laboratory in Westborough, Mass., the company announced Sept. 27. The test detects an epidermal growth factor receptor mutation - present in up to 20% of non-small-cell lung cancer patients - shown to correlate with clinical response to these treatments. Both drugs are currently prescribed only after other chemotherapy regimens have failed, but there is some interest in employing mutation testing to make them first-line treatments when appropriate...