12th May 2016 06:19
LONDON (Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC said Thursday it has been granted an orphan drug designation by the US Food and Drug Administration for selumetinib as an adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III or IV differentiated thyroid cancer.
The company said that selumetinib is being tested for its ability to help with the uptake of radioactive iodine, currently recommended for treating differentiated thyroid cancer, with the potential to add it as a treatment option for patients who do not respond well to radioactive iodine.
"Uptake of radioactive iodine is crucial for patients with thyroid cancer where no other therapies have proven beneficial. Selumetinib could significantly enhance currently available treatment options for these patients. The Orphan Drug Designation is an important achievement as we advance our development plans for this potential treatment in differentiated thyroid cancer," said Sean Bohen, executive vice president of global medicines development and chief medical officer, in a statement.
AstraZeneca acquired exclusive worldwide rights to selumetinib from Array BioPharma Inc in 2003.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
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