Novartis plans new Afinitor stomach cancer trial

ZURICH Jan 13 (Reuters) - Novartis AG (NOVN.VX) plans to launch a late-stage trial of Afinitor in stomach cancer after the drug showed promise in a mid-stage study, with enrolment starting this year, the Swiss company said on Tuesday.

After eight weeks of treatment in a Phase II study, Afinitor halted tumour growth in 55 percent of advanced gastric, or stomach, cancer patients who had previously been treated with chemotherapy, according to data presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Gastric cancer is responsible for more than 865,000 deaths each year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, Novartis said.

Novartis expects a U.S. regulatory decision on use of Afinitor in treating advanced kidney cancer in the first quarter of 2009. A positive decision would be the potential billion-dollar seller's first approval.

Other data, also presented at the ASCO meeting, showed Novartis's Sandostatin LAR was effective in controlling tumour growth in patients with rare gastrointestinal tumours.

According to preliminary results from a late-stage study, patients receiving Sandostatin LAR had a 66 percent reduction in risk of disease progression compared to those taking placebo after six months of treatment.

Sandostatin LAR halted tumour growth in 69 percent of patients, compared with 39 percent of patients receiving placebo, Novartis said. (Reporting by Sam Cage; Editing by David Cowell)