Cancer drug shows promise in treating K.S. (6092)

Phase II human trials of Bristol-Myers Squibb's anticancer drug paclitaxel--already approved to treat some cases of breast, ovarian, and lung cancers under the brand name Taxol--have shown that the drug is effective in treating advanced AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, AIDS Policy & Law reports. The medication appears most useful in treating K.S. in patients who have failed other chemotherapy agents. The drug was evaluated in 107 male patients with advanced K.S. who had failed at least one previous regimen of systemic chemotherapy. More than half of the patients experienced a complete or partial response to the drug. Additional data from the clinical trial is expected to be released later this year. Phase III trials are planned.