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This is an international site for FEMARA® (letrozole) and is intended for Health Care Professionals outside the U.S. The information on the site is not country-specific, and may contain information that is outside the approved indications in the country in which you are located. Please contact your local Novartis representative for the latest information specific to your country.

Femara and Breast Cancer Information for International Healthcare Professionals Femara and Breast Cancer Information for US residents Femara and Breast Cancer Information for Patients Outside the US

FEMARA® (letrozole) offers extended protection after adjuvant tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with HR+ early breast cancer1,2

FEMARA® significantly reduced overall recurrence after 5 years of tamoxifen in MA-17 study1,2*...

...regardless of nodal status1

Overall Recurrences after tamoxifen in FEMARA® vs placebo2

Femara | Overall Recurrences after tamoxifen in FEMARA® versus placebo

In the extended adjuvant setting, FEMARA® significantly reduced overall recurrence by 42% versus placebo (P<0.001).2 When assessed by nodal status, FEMARA® significantly reduced recurrence by:


...and regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy history2

FEMARA® significantly reduced recurrence by:


FEMARA® demonstrated a continued benefit in disease-free survival* over 48 months following tamoxifen2

Time to earliest event of recurrence after tamoxifen2

Femara | Time to earliest event of recurrence after tamoxifen

FEMARA®: n=2583 at start of study. Placebo: n=2587 at start of study.

At 4 years in the extended adjuvant setting, disease-free survival was 94.4% with FEMARA® versus 89.8% with placebo.2 FEMARA® reduced the number of recurrences in almost all event categories, including2:

FEMARA® (letrozole) significantly reduced distant metastases* after tamoxifen in MA-17 study2

Reduction in distant metastases2

Femara | Reduction in distant metastases

In the extended adjuvant setting, FEMARA® significantly reduced distant metastases by 40% versus placebo (P=0.002).2

FEMARA® (letrozole) reduced overall mortality* in MA-17 study2

Overall mortality after tamoxifen in FEMARA® vs placebo (not statistically significant)2

Femara | Overall mortality after tamoxifen in Femara versus placebo (not statistically significant)

While the overall survival benefit for the total study population was not statistically significant, FEMARA® significantly reduced mortality by 39% versus placebo in a planned analysis of node-positive patients (P=0.04).2

So, after adjuvant tamoxifen treatment, consider the risks...

...and turn to FEMARA® to significantly reduce the risk of recurrence, including distant metastases1,2

The unique efficacy profile of FEMARA® (letrozole) in the extended adjuvant setting is accompanied by a demonstrated safety profile, which is described below.

To read about the significant clinical benefits of FEMARA® in the initial adjuvant setting, click here.

*Disease-free survival (the primary end point) was defined as the time from randomization to the time of earliest event of recurrence of the
 primary disease or development of contralateral breast cancer. The secondary end points included overall survival, rate of contralateral
 breast cancer, and other clinical and laboratory safety parameters.2
Extended adjuvant treatment of hormone-dependent early breast cancer in postmenopausal women who have received prior standard adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for 5 years.
Click here for Important Safety Information for FEMARA®.
References: 1. FEMARA® (letrozole) [summary of product characteristics]. Basel, Switzerland: Novartis Pharma AG; 2009. 2. Goss PE, Ingle JN, Martino S, et al. Randomized trial of letrozole following tamoxifen as extended adjuvant therapy in receptor-positive breast cancer: updated findings from NCIC CTG MA.17. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:1262-1271.
3. Goss PE, Ingle JN, Martino S, et al. Updated analysis of the NCIC CTG MA.17 randomized placebo (P) controlled trial of letrozole (L) after five years of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer [abstract]. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(14S):1. Abstract 847. 4. Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group.Tamoxifen for early breast cancer: an overview of the randomized trials. Lancet. 1998;351:1451-1467.