According to a study pre-published online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology, the drug Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) proves safe and effective over the long term in patients with an advanced form of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

According to Hagop Kantarjian, MD, the lead author on the study and Chairman and Professor of the Leukemia Department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:

"The long-term follow-up results of imatinib in CML post interferon failure reassure us of the high efficacy of the drug and its safety.

With a six-year follow-up, the estimated six-year survival rate is 76 percent. In historical data, after interferon failure the average survival was about three to four years."

Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) - a product of Novartis - when first approved for CML has since been the standard of care for the disease.

Find more details from the American Society of Hematology.

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