LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc's head of cancer research said on Wednesday a new drug in development had the potential to convert cancer into a chronic and stable disease for many patients.

Allen Oliff told investors at a research meeting that the drug, known by the code name 572016, had shown promise against breast, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder, head and neck, and gastric cancer in phase I and phase II clinical trials.

In one breast cancer study, a partial response was seen in 13 percent of patients given the drug and the disease stabilised in another 33 percent.

The product, which is given as a once-daily pill, blocks two biological switches involved in cancer growth, EGFR and ErbB-2, which are inhibited separately by drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc's Iressa and Genentech Inc's Herceptin.

Oliff said it seemed to work in patients who had been given either Iressa or Herceptin and then relapsed.

Over 30 clinical trials on the drug are currently under way. The company expects to file for regulatory approval in 2005.

Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters Limited content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters Limited. Reuters Limited shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.