GSK launches Votrient in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 6 May 2014 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

New oral medication for advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma brings fresh hope for kidney cancer patients

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the launch in Sri Lanka of Votrient (pazopanib), a once-daily, oral medication for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer that accounts for approximately nine out of ten cases. First approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2009, pazopanib is now approved in more than 80 countries as a treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. With its registration with the Cosmetics, Devices & Drugs Regulatory Authority Sri Lanka, Votrient becomes the first targeted therapy to be approved for prescription by local physicians as a new oral treatment option to patients with advanced renal cell cancer. It is indicated for use as a single agent to treat kidney cancer that is advanced or has spread to other organs, an announcement from GSK Pharmaceuticals said. Commenting on the arrival of this new medication in the country, GSK Pharmaceuticals Managing Director in Sri Lanka Stuart Chapman noted: “The launch of Votrient represents an important and exciting new treatment option for patients in line with our vision of helping people do more, feel better and live longer. It is one of a new generation of patient-focused targeted therapies, and as with all GSK products, comes with an assurance of globally-tested quality.” An anti-cancer drug of a type called ‘protein kinase inhibitors’, Votrient works by preventing the activity of proteins that are involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. It is intended as the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and for patients who have received prior cytokine therapy for advanced disease. In a pivotal trial, progression-free survival was found to be significantly prolonged with Votrient vs. placebo (9.2 months vs. 4.2 months, p<0.0001) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Votrient is well tolerated and the majority of the side effects seen in the trial were mild to moderate and clinically manageable, with a quality of life comparable to the placebo group. “Recently approved medicines have improved the outcome for patients with renal cell carcinoma, but there is still an unmet need for targeted medicines with improved tolerability,” said GSK Pharmaceuticals Sri Lanka, Director – Medical, Regulatory & Government Affairs Dr. Hector Weerasinghe. “Votrient has been proven to significantly delay the progression of advanced renal cell carcinoma while maintaining patients’ quality of life.” One of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, GSK and its predecessors have been doing business in Sri Lanka since the late 1930s. Globally, 1,100 prescriptions are written for GSK products every minute. GSK is the only pharmaceuticals company to tackle the three ‘priority diseases’ identified by the World Health Organization (WHO): HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

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