LONDON ¿ Scotia Pharmaceuticals plc, of Stirling, Scotland, has dropped the development of Glamolec (lithium GLA) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, following an interim review of the data by an independent monitoring board. The review confirmed there was no survival benefit. The share price fell by 13 pence to #1.26 (US$2) when the news was released last Thursday, April 15.

Robert Dow, CEO of Scotia, said the cessation of the Glamolec project on the basis of the interim analysis ¿is consistent with our previously announced strategy to determine quickly and cost effectively whether there is any commercial or medical value in our residual lipid pharmaceutical programs.¿

Scotia cut its development programs from 20 to six in May 1998 but, after looking hard at the rationale and the data available, decided to continue development of lipids as anticancer agents. Scotia was then running a Phase III trial with Glamolec in pancreatic cancer, and said it would use this to evaluate the use of lipids as adjunctive therapy. ¿ Nuala Moran