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Article: Genentech: Encouraging results with colon cancer drug; Company says the medicine extends the life of some patients
- Article from:
- Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
- Article date:
- May 20, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An experimental drug that had essentially
been written off as a failure dramatically extended the lives of some
of the sickest colon cancer patients, its maker, Genentech Inc., said
Monday.
The news sent the biotechnology company's stock soaring nearly 45
percent and boosted the spirits of researchers working with similar
drugs in a field plagued by recent setbacks.
Genentech's Avastin is the most advanced drug in this new class of
medicines, which are intended to choke off the blood supply to cancer
tumors. The work was pioneered by Dr. Judah Folkman some 30 years
ago.