World News

124 deaths linked to Iressa cancer drug

Nearly 500 people have experienced debilitating side effects from the British-made lung cancer drug Iressa, and more than 120 of the patients have died, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Dec. 25.

As of Dec. 13, 124 people had died from taking the drug, the ministry said.

Of these, 114 were among 358 people who experienced severe lung damage. Ten other victims were among 136 patients who reported other kinds of side effects, including liver dysfunction.

The drug, manufactured by AstraZeneca Group PLC of Britain, is sold under the Iressa brand. It was approved in July by the ministry after five months of screening - an unusually short period.

The figures were disclosed by an expert panel set up by the ministry to investigate the problems after it was revealed that 81 patients had died from side effects related to the drug as of November. At that time, 18,000 cancer patients were being treated with it.

The drug has received some positive evaluations, including that it has potent cancer-fighting effects, and the ministry plans to only allow doctors who specialize in cancer drugs to use the drug, the officials said.

Iressa had been widely touted as a miracle drug in Japan. But clinical tests in Europe and North America have found the rate of effectiveness of Iressa is as low as 10 percent, and no country other than Japan has approved the drug.

The U.S. government was, however, expected to approve the drug in November but has been delaying action due to the reported deaths in Japan.

Shukan ST: Jan. 3, 2003

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