Its bone drug Zometa was unexpectedly shown to reduce risk of breast cancer recurring by 35%.
In the past, Novartis executives have said that any use of Zometa in rheumatoid arthritis is years away.
Still, this study is yet another positive for Zometa, a drug many have speculated could be a blockbuster.
Novartis executives have previously said that any use of Zometa in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is years away.
Zometa is currently on the market, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for a bone-related complication of cancer.
However, some hope that Novartis' follow-up drug, Zometa, may work even better, according to one of the study's lead authors.
The associated drugs like procrit for anemia or zometa for bone hardening are also in the multiple thousands of dollars per treatment.
Smith is a lead researcher on a new study that examines how well Zometa works to prevent osteoporosis in prostate cancer patients.
Zometa is a more potent drug, says Dr. Matthew Smith , a Harvard Medical School professor who wrote and designed the NEJM study.
Later this year Novartis plans to introduce five more drugs to complete the turnaround: Glivec, Zelmac, Xolair and Starlix for diabetes and Zometa for cancer.
Even more powerful injectible drugs like Zometa from Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) can sometimes cause bone side effects.
Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) is also studying its drug Zometa, used to treat erosion of bone due to cancer, against rheumatoid arthritis.
Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) is studying Zometa--its drug used to treat erosion of bone caused by cancer--for its effectiveness against rheumatoid arthritis.
The most immediate sales impact could come from the surprise finding that the company's bone-boosting drug Zometa slashed the recurrence of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women by about 35% in an 1, 800 person trial, when combined with standard treatment.
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