Oncology – Targeting the Needs of Patients

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. This is a very simple definition for such complex and challenging diseases. Cancer is ranked as the second largest cause of death in the United States. In 2009, it is estimated that over 560,000 Americans were expected to die from cancer with over 1.4 million new cases expected to be diagnosed (Cancer Facts & Figures, 2009).

Although these statistics highlight the challenges yet to be overcome in the fight against cancer, they do not accurately reflect the advances in treatments that offer patients a better quality of life while increasing survival rates. At OSI, we strive to be at the forefront of the war against cancer by arming patients with an arsenal of tools to help them manage their disease and live productive lives. Our success is based on our ability to discover and develop molecular targeted therapies that enable a sea change in how cancer patients are treated.

For example, Tarceva^® (erlotinib), our flagship product established a new standard of cancer treatment in patients living with advanced lung and pancreatic cancer. By attacking a tumor’s underlying biology we have taken the first step in making cancer more of a chronic disease.

We believe that Tarceva will continue to emerge as a significant product in the treatment of cancer and we are hopeful that our broad-based, deep and innovative pipeline will offer further advances for cancer patients throughout the world.