Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult tumors to treat, with few good options after cancerous cells have spread more widely. More than 60,000 people are diagnosed with the adenocarcinoma form each year, according to Ipsen, often after metastases. Fewer than one in five people at that stage live longer than a year following diagnosis.
Against that backdrop, the FDA’s approval of Onivyde is notable. Results, which were published in The Lancet last October, showed that adding the treatment to the drugs oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin resulted in median overall survival of about two months longer than standard nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine.
