ASCO In Brief

Gleevec filing for first-line CML: Novartis plans to file an NDA for Gleevec (imatinib) for first-line use in chronic myeloid leukemia patients in late June or early July, company says. In a 1,106-patient open-label Phase III trial presented at a plenary session of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, patients receiving 400 mg daily of Gleevec achieved higher major and complete cytogenetic responses (84% and 69%) compared to those receiving interferon-alfa and cytarabine arabinoside (30% and 11.5%, respectively). Complete hematologic response rates were 96% for the Gleevec arm and 67% for the IFN/Ara-C arm. Gleevec is currently indicated for second-line use in CML...