CORRECTED - CORRECTED-OSI says Tarceva extends lung cancer survival

(Corrects paragraph 5 to say majority of NSCLC patients do not have EGFR mutation, not that they have the EGFR mutation)

Aug 3 (Reuters) - OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc's OSIP.O cancer drug Tarceva extended the survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), when used immediately after chemotherapy, according to further results from the late-stage Saturn study.

The data from the study showed that Tarceva had a survival benefit as a maintenance therapy for patients whose disease had not progressed following chemotherapy, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

In the study, patients treated with Tarceva showed a 23 percent improvement in overall survival, compared to patients who received the dummy drug.

The median survival for patients receiving Tarceva was 12 months versus a median survival of 11 months for patients receiving placebo.

Patients, whose tumours did not have an EGFR mutation, showed a 30 percent improvement in survival. The majority of patients with NSCLC do not have EGFR mutation and are known as EGFR wild-type. The company said analysis of various sub-groups is still on-going.

The company also said that there were no new or unexpected safety signals and safety results were consistent with what was seen previously.

Tarceva, which is already approved to treat pancreatic cancer, is co-marketed by Swiss drug maker Roche Holding (ROG.VX).

OSI said the review date by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Tarceva as a maintenance treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC is expected to be on or about January 18, 2010.

If approved, Tarceva is expected to compete with Eli Lilly and Co's (LLY.N) cancer drug Alimta.

Shares of OSI Pharmaceuticals closed at $33.79 Friday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore; Editing by Aradhana Aravindan)