OSI announces in April that it has acquired all minority-interest shares in the company’s majority-owned U.K.-based diabetes and obesity subsidiary, Prosidion. The transaction is a vote of confidence in OSI’s rapidly evolving diabetes and obesity research and development programs and represents a firm commitment by the OSI board and management team to maximizing the value inherent in the programs.

  
 

 
 
 
Barbara Rutstein, Tarceva patient. Click here to read.  
In July, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine publishes results from a pivotal Phase III study showing Tarceva® (erlotinib) improved survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The study represents an important medical advance, showing that Tarceva is the first molecular targeted therapy to improve survival in advanced lung cancer. 		 
 

 
 

In September, the European Commission approves Tarceva for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen.

Lung cancer patients in the European Union now have a new treatment option with a proven survival benefit and a manageable side effect profile.

  
 

 
 

In November, U.S. regulators approve Tarceva in combination with gemcitabine chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer in patients who have not received previous chemotherapy. Tarceva is the first drug to have shown a significant improvement in overall survival when added to gemcitabine chemotherapy as initial treatment for pancreatic cancer, a disease which has the highest one-year mortality rate of any cancer.

  
 

 
 
 
Char Williams, Macugen patient. Click here to read.

 

 
In November, OSI completes its acquisition of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for eye diseases. The transaction positions OSI as a scientifically strong and financially diversified biotechnology company, and adds Macugen® (pegaptanib sodium injection), a treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, to the OSI portfolio.		  
 

 
 
 
 



 
In December, OSI reports positive results from a Phase IIa proof-of-concept and dose-range-finding study with its diabetes drug candidate, PSN9301, a DP-IV inhibitor. PSN9301’s meal-related dosing is designed to optimize benefit while minimizing potential side effects and makes it a potentially ideal candidate for combination with metformin.