Pfizer Inc. has won support from the Food and Drug Administration for its experimental drug Inlyta, which has been effective in clinical trials for patients with kidney cancer.
In an advisory committee meeting on Wednesday, they voted 13-0 in favor of the drug, which is also called axitinib. This unanimous agreement makes it more likely that the drug will soon be approved for full use by the FDA when it makes its decision in 2012.
According to panelists, the drug as at least as safe and effective as other drugs that have already been approved for kidney cancer treatment. It also has different side effects, which could be useful for people who have a hard time with other treatments.
Reuters quotes Dr. Wyndham Wilson of the National Cancer Institute as saying, "The toxicity profile is different, there's benefit there, and it's not inferior to currently approved TKIs.”
He added that distinct toxicity profiles are beneficial since “you have two drugs that are equivalently effective.”
The American Cancer Society reports that out of the 61,000 people who are expected to be diagnosed with kidney cancer this year, approximately 1 in 5 of them will die from it. By inhibiting some of the receptors that play a role in tumor growth, Inlyta can slow the progression of the cancer.
