Merck & Co gets FDA approval for Zolina

US drug major Merck & Co says that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its anticancer agent Zolina (vorinostat) for the treatment of cutaneous manifestations in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Specifically, the drug is approved for CTCL sufferers who have progressive, persistent or recurrent forms of the disease on or following at least two systemic therapies. The company added that the product, which inhibits the histone deacetylase enzyme that is associated with the prevention of normal functioning in cancerous cells, brought about an objective response rate in 29.7% of patients in two open-label trials.