(In previous story, "Evista" was incorrectly spelled "Evistar in first paragraph)Friday morning, Indianapolis, Indiana - based drug manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) said its received approval from FDA for its osteoporosis drug Evista for a new use to reduce risk of invasive breast cancer in two populations. The drug is intended to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal woman with osteoporosis and postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer. The company stated that Evista is a selective estrogen receptor modulator or SERM and is already approved for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Recently FDA classified Evista as an estrogen agonist/antagonist. The company has evaluated clinical results from approximately 37 thousand postmenopausal women for 10 years. Eli Lilly said age is an important factor in incidence of breast cancer, as nearly eight out of 10 breast cancers are found in women age 50 and older. In addition, age is an important risk factor associated with osteoporosis.Earlier in July, the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee to the FDA recommended Evista for new uses other than osteoporosis. FDA evaluated a data package that included multiple trials assessing three different populations of postmenopausal women. One among the three studies was Tamoxifen and Raloxifene trial in postmenopausal women at increased risk for invasive breast cancer. The trial observed invasive breast cancer incidence of 4.4 and tamoxifen 4.3 per 1000 women per year.Another one was trial of Raloxifene use for the Heart in postmenopausal women with known or at increased risk for coronary disease. The study demonstrated that Evista significantly reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women by 44% with an absolute risk reduction of 0.6%The third study, Multiple outcomes of raloxifene evaluation and Continuing outcomes relevant to Evista trials evaluated postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Both four-year trials showed that Evista reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer in women by 71% with an absolute risk reduction of 1.1%, and 56% with an absolute risk reduction of 1.0%, respectively. The company said it worked with FDA to revise the package insert and to include a boxed warning. The warning emphasizes that women with an active or past history of venous thromboembolism should not take Evista and that women at risk for stroke should receive Evista only after evaluating the risk-benefit balance with their healthcare providers.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.