· The heart attack risk associated Herceptin doesn’t increase over time, according to a study that Genentech might use to alleviate concerns over its breast cancer med. The incidence of congestive heart failure among patients was 3.8 percent after five years, compared to 4.1 percent after three years. The study tracked 1,850 Herceptin patients.

· A new type of cancer med developed by Bristol-Myers, when combined with standard chemotherapy, was significantly better than chemo alone in delaying progression of advanced breast cancer. The drug ixabepilone, a semi-synthetic version of a compound isolated from an African soil sample, was tested among women whose breast cancer had spread to other parts of the body. Patients given the combo went an average of six months without worsening, versus four months for those given just capecitabine.

· Glaxo’s Tykerb breast cancer pill might help prevent tumor growth in some people with a hard-to-treat form of the disease, researchers are reporting. The addition of Tykerb to standard chemotherapy treatment failed to help most breast cancer patients. However, it did increase survival in those patients who were HER2-positive, a type of breast cancer that spreads more quickly and accounts for a quarter of cases.

Further reading about Genentech, Bristol-Myers and Glaxo drugs.