By Christy Santosh

LONDON: Swiss drugmaker Novartis said patients with a type of leukemia who took its drug Scramblex responded significantly and Low dropout rate The number was higher than those given current standard-of-care drugs in the detailed study presented Friday.

The company said in January that the oral drug had met key goals in a trial involving 405 patients.

More detailed data revealed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago showed that Scramblex helped 67.7 percent of patients achieve recovery. Major molecular reactions (MMR) is approximately 20 percent higher than in patients receiving current standard treatment.

The study tested Scramblex on patients newly diagnosed with blood cancer. chronic myeloid leukemia against a class of drugs called (CML) Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as Novartis’s own Gleevec, have turned the disease from a death sentence to a treatable condition, with many patients achieving good, long-term responses.

More than 9,000 people in the United States are affected by CML each year, and 1,000 die.

a major Molecular reaction This treatment is thought to be achieved by significantly reducing a cancer-causing gene called BCR-ABL, which is thought to be essential for the initiation and maintenance of CML.

Scramblex was also tested against Novartis’ Tasigna, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sprycel and Pfizer’s Bosulif.

It helped about 30 percent more patients achieve MMR at the end of 48 weeks than Gleevec.

Although older TKIs have revolutionized the treatment of CML, many patients still experience relapses or are unable to continue treatment because of side effects.

During the trial, only 5 percent of Scramblex patients discontinued treatment due to adverse side effects, compared to a 10 percent dropout rate among patients treated with any TKI, which can cause fatigue, depression, etc. Sleep disruptiondiarrhea, and other side effects.

Earlier this month, analysts at Jefferies said an MMR rate above 60 percent and a treatment discontinuation rate below 10 percent would be a best-case scenario for Scramblex, potentially establishing the drug as a new standard of care.

They estimate peak annual sales worldwide will reach $4.5 billion. Skemblix has been approved in more than 70 countries, including one Quick Approval In the U.S., it’s used to treat adults with CML who have previously received two or more standard-of-care treatments. The new results could make a case for expanded use in patients who have not previously received treatment for the disease.

Testing is ongoing, the next analysis to evaluate MMR and other factors is scheduled at 96 weeks. Amputation Rates,

(Reporting by Christy Santosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot)