promising news on the cancer drug front...

There have been a number of interesting stories in the news lately, promising results regarding a number of new cancer drugs...

• Novartis, Roche unveil promising cancer drugs data.  "Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG said late stage data showed its Sandostatin LAR drug helped fight tumuors of the mid-gut, while other drugs showed benefits for treating advanced melanoma.  Novartis' rival Roche Holding AG also said on Thursday a new drug helped shrink the tumours of 25 percent of women with HER2-positive breast cancer, according to data from a mid-stage clinical trial."
• AstraZeneca, Sanofi PARP Drugs Show Potential Against Cancer.  "Two studies looking at a new type of drug being designed to cause cancer cells to die in a different way than currently available drugs showed potential as a therapy for hard-to-treat types of breast cancer."
• Roche's Herceptin Extends Life In Certain Stomach Cancers.  "A new study shows that Roche Holding AG's (RHHBY) Herceptin, currently used in certain breast cancer patients, is also effective in a subtype of stomach cancers, the first new use for the blockbuster drug."
• Lilly drug helps lung cancer patients live longer.  "The use of Eli Lilly and Co's Alimta following successful chemotherapy treatment helped patients with advanced lung cancer live significantly longer, according to data released on Saturday."

This is great stuff.  People sometimes ask me what "victory" against cancer will look like.  I think this is it...  Cancer is so complex - is so many different diseases - that there won't be one solution, it will require incremental progress on a large number of fronts.