Research Headlines

New cancer drug

By Jeanne Sabatie, Production Editor

The FDA recently approved Gleevec for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia. Gleevec was 16 years in the making and doesn't come cheap—costing up to $2,400 a month, although the manufacturer offers a sliding scale on the price in proportion to patients' income levels. Scientists report that the Novartis drug also seems to work for a cancer known as GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor). Though both cancers are rare, researchers hope to develop similar drugs—that kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones—for many other cancers.

Jeanne Sabatie. New cancer drug.

Business and Health

2001;6:8.