Irish researchers say the trial results of a potential new treatment for a rare, life-threatening form of leukaemia are very promising and bring a cure closer.
The team from Galway and Dublin have been investigating the drug Tasigna as a first line treatment for people newly diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, or CML.
Around 40 new cases of the blood cancer are diagnosed here each year.
The leader of the study, Professor Michael O' Dwyer, consultant haematologist at University College Hospital Galway, said the drug produced better results and fewer side effects than the existing treatment.
He said that if the results are confirmed in wider studies, the treatment could be available in around 18 months.
An Irishman from Achill Island, Michael Lavelle, was last year the first person in Europe to receive the drug as part of the Irish trials, which involve University College Hospital Galway, St James's Hospital in Dublin, and Trinity College Dublin.
There were 14 Irish people involved in the Irish trials.
CML affects around one in every 100,000 people.
