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Home » Drug Information » FDA Approved Drugs » 1997
Medical Areas: Endocrinology | Obstetrics/Gynecology (Women’s Health) | Oncology | Family Medicine

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Femara (letrozole)

The following drug information is obtained from various newswires, published medical journal articles, and medical conference presentations.

Company: Novartis
Approval Status: Approved July 1997
Treatment Area: breast cancer

General Information

Femara (letrozole), a late-term hormonal therapy, has been approved as a treatment for breast cancer. Femara comes in 2.5 mg doses, recommended once daily.

Clinical Results

In a randomized study, 18.4% of patients reported a complete or partial tumor response.

Side Effects

Common side effects reported include musculoskeletal pain (21%), nausea (13%), headache (9%), joint pain (8%), or fatigue (8%).

Mechanism of Action

A second-line anti-estrogen therapy, the drug prevents the transformation of androgen compounds into estrogen by blocking the effects of the aromatase enzyme.