Fareston Equals Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer Fight

Finnish researchers say that the breast cancer drug called Fareston, known under the generic name of toremifene, is as effective as tamoxifen while costing considerably less.

A trial of 899 patients found that the two drugs worked about equally in postmenopausal women who had undergone surgery for the same stage of breast cancer. The patients were monitored for slightly more than three years on average, and had the same rate of side effects and about the same length of time until breast cancer recurred.

An analysis presented at the 2000 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggested that the breast cancer recurrence and death rates were slightly lower among the women who got Fareston. Tamoxifen, sold under the name Nolvadex, and Fareston are both classified as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).

Fareston is marketed by Shire Roberts, a Kentucky-based corporation.