Eli Lilly & Company, India has launched Alimta (pemetrexed disodium), for use in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)-a rare type of cancer. Alimta has also been approved as second line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

Sandeep Gupta, CMD, Eli Lilly India said, " Alimta is the world's first approved treatment for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma which reinforces our strong commitment to introduce innovative solutions from Lilly for benefit of patients in India." MPM has strong correlation with exposure to asbestos. "This disease is difficult to treat since it is highly malignant and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Novel therapies like Alimta will offer some hope in such patients", said Dr S H Advani, Chief of Medical Oncology, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.

Alimta was approved in 2004 in the US. Since then it has been approved in more than 70 countries and regions including the EU, Australia and Canada. "Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 people worldwide are diagnosed annually with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Most people do not learn they have MPM until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage when treatment with surgery or radiation is no longer an option", said Dr Purvish Parikh, Professor and Head of Medical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

The American Chemical Society recently named the three researchers, who led the discovery and development of Alimta, as Heroes of Chemistry. The scientists received the award on September 10, 2006 at the ACS national meeting in San Francisco. Researchers Homer Pearce, PhD, Chuan (Joe) Shih, PhD, and Edward C Taylor, PhD, led a long-standing collaboration between Eli Lilly and company and Princeton University that resulted in the compound Alimta being developed.

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers through medicines and information for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. For more than four decades, Lilly Oncology has been collaborating with cancer researchers to deliver innovative treatment choices and valuable programmes to patients and physicians. Inspired by courageous patients living with cancer, Lilly Oncology is providing treatments that are considered global standards of care and developing a broad portfolio of novel targeted therapies to accelerate the pace and progress of cancer care.