We learned yesterday that the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) had launched a pharmacovigilance survey following the death, between June 2016 and February 2017, of 5 patients suffering from breast cancer and treated with docetaxel for their chemotherapy.
On the other hand, the ANSM made no recommendation and docetaxel-based drugs were not suspended.
Two of the patients treated at Institut Curie
The most recent death was declared on February 4 at ANSM by Institut Curie. This is a patient who was on her first course of docetaxel. Another similar death was also reported last June.
“Faced with the occurrence, in an unusual space-time, of these two similar cases at the Institut Curie as well as in other health establishments in France, the Institut Curie has, as a precautionary measure, stopped using the Docetaxel for the treatment of breast cancer. This drug is replaced by Paclitaxel “ the Institute announced in a press release.
These precautionary measures apply immediately
Institut Curie recalls that its doctors have been administering this chemotherapy molecule (taxane) in its generic form since early 2015 and its originator for more than 25 years in the treatment for certain forms of breast cancer.
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