Tamoxifen prevents more breast cancer than Evista

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - The breast cancer drug tamoxifen prevented more cases of breast cancer after nearly 7 years than Eli Lilly and Co's (LLY.N) osteoporosis drug Evista, researchers reported on Monday.

But Evista, known generically as raloxifene, had fewer side-effects than tamoxifen, which is available generically, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

The researchers on the so-called STAR trial calculate that tamoxifen lowers the risk of breast cancer in high risk women by 50 percent, compared with 38 percent for Evista. (Reporting by Maggie Fox)