The Health Protection Branch of Canada approved Bristol-Myers Squibb's Taxol as a second-line treatment for metastaticbreast cancer earlier this month.

Canada is the second country to approve the drug for thisindication, following Austria's approval in July. Bristol-MyersSquibb Canada Inc. of Montreal noted that Taxol is now to beadministered in a three-hour infusion, rather than 24 hours.

FDA's Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee recommendedapproval of Taxol for the second-line breast cancer indicationlast week.

Last year, the drug was approved in both the U.S. and Canadafor the treatment of metastatic ovarian cancer after failure ofstandard therapy.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.