Sanofi says Taxotere gets CHMP positive opinion

PARIS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said its Taxotere cancer treatment had received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommending approval in the European Union for induction treatment for locally advanced head and neck cancer.

"For many years, we have waited for a new therapeutic option for this very difficult pathology," said Marshall Posner, MD, Medical Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, in a statement.

"The survival improvement seen with this Taxotere-based regimen is extraordinary for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma, and will provide a new, multidisciplinary approach to the management of our patients," he added.