Is Taxol® (paclitaxel) better than Taxotere® (docetaxel)?
Both these drugs belong to a family called taxanes and have similar mechanism of action. However, there are differences in the structure leading to a different side effect profile and some differences in their effectiveness depending on how they are given. When the FDA-approved dose of paclitaxel was compared with the FDA-approved dose of docetaxel in a randomized trial involving more than 400 patients, it was shown that the docetaxel was more effective in shrinking tumors, prolonging time to progression, and even rendered a longer survival time. This was achieved at the cost of more side effects in terms of dropping blood counts, having fever, infection, and more nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and fluid retention. In other trials, particularly early-stage breast cancer, it is not clear one drug is superior to the other.
