BOSTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said on Monday that results of a late-stage trial showed patients did just as well on a lower-than-standard dose of its leukemia drug Sprycel and had fewer side effects. Data from the study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, showed that patients receiving Sprycel 100 milligrams achieved a similar benefit at six months with fewer side effects than those taking the dose approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of 70 milligrams twice a day. The study was conducted in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, who were resistant to or intolerant of Novartis AG's leukemia drug Gleevec. The study tested four different dosing schedules and showed that patients achieved comparable benefit in all four treatment arms. However, patients taking 100 milligrams once a day showed a lower rate of serious toxic reactions and other side effects such as anemia. Sprycel was approved in June to treat patients with the most common form of CML who are resistant to previous therapy, typically Gleevec. | 
