UK launch for Glivec

Oral cancer therapy, Glivec (imatinib) is now available in the UK for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in blast crisis, accelerated phase or in chronic phase after failure of interferon- alfa therapy. The drug is said by maker Novartis to be highly selective, avoiding some side effects, and trials show it to be better tolerated than previous CML therapies. Up to 91 per cent of patients treated with Glivec saw their white blood cell counts return to normal and up to 55 per cent a disappearance or reduction of the Philadelphia chromosome (a genetic abnormality) in bone marrow cells.