Jan. 11, 2005 — The treatment options for women with breast cancer expanded this week with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a nanoparticle-based drug called Abraxane. American Pharmaceutical Partners Inc. received clearance to offer the chemotherapy drug that proved to be more effective and less toxic than Taxol in clinical trials. Company officials scheduled a conference call on Monday to discuss the drug and the FDA’s approval.

Abraxane uses nanoscale particles of the natural protein albumin that can be delivered in the body without the use of solvents. Taxol requires solvents, which create side effects such as anemia and nausea. American Pharmaceutical Partners said that the elimination of toxic solvents allowed them to expose cancer cells to more of the drug.

The privately held biotechnology company American Bioscience Inc. developed Abraxane. American Pharmaceutical Partners, its majority-owned subsidiary, will market the drug as an injectable pharmaceutical. It is expected to be prescribed for women with metastatic breast cancer, or cancer that has spread from its origin to another spot in the body.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women, according to a 2001 report issued by the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is the leading cause of cancer death for Hispanic women and the second leading cause of cancer death for white, black, and Asian women.