According to Pfizer, the approval makes Aromasin the first and only aromatase inhibitor approved in Canada for the indication.
Results from the study that supported this approval showed that women who switched to Aromasin had 31% more protection from cancer recurrence than those who remained on five years of tamoxifen therapy.
“People must not underestimate the importance of a switch option in adjuvant endocrine treatment – it is a critical therapeutic step,” said Dr Kathleen Pritchard, professor in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto. “Any time we can talk about improvements in disease-free survival, we know we are making important strides in the battle against breast cancer.”
Until now, in Canada, Aromasin has been indicated for hormonal treatment of advanced breast cancer in women with natural or artificially-induced post-menopausal status whose disease has progressed following anti-estrogen therapy.