Annual Report 2003 Aventis - Sanofi

Research and Development
Almost everyone knows someone who’s been up
against some form of cancer – a relative, a friend,
a neighbor, or a co-worker. A diagnosis that was
more often than not equated with a terminal illness
is gradually losing its stigma. Cancer awareness
campaigns and regular screening are enabling people
to identify the disease and seek treatment early.
Medical science is also making signifi cant strides in
the fi ght against cancer. The results of recent research
studies show that Aventis is playing a major
role in the development of promising new treatments
for patients with this disease.
Already recognized as a leading treatment for
metastatic breast cancer and non-small-cell lung
cancer, Taxotere is the subject of numerous clinical
trials exploring the safety and effi cacy in early treatment
and several other forms of cancer. In 2003,
several clinical studies involving Taxotere yielded
positive results, confi rming the signifi cant potential
of this life-saving therapy.
One of the highlights of the San Antonio Breast
Cancer Symposium in December 2003 was the detailed
assessment of the impact of Taxotere when
used together with an anthracycline-containing
treatment regimen in the treatment of women with
early-stage, node positive breast cancer.
This exciting data will serve as the basis of the
FDA and EMEA submissions of Taxotere for adjuvant
breast cancer in 2004.
The value of Taxotere has been underscored in a
number of other studies. At the 2003 European Cancer
Conference (ECCO), results from a randomized
phase III study demonstrated that women with metastatic
breast cancer who were treated with Taxotere
showed a statistically signifi cant improvement in
overall survival and time to disease progression
com pared to those who were treated with paclitaxel,
a rival drug.
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