Novartis' new CML drug approved in USA

Swiss drug major Novartis' Tasigna (nilotinib) has been approved in the USA as a new anticancer therapy for certain patients with a life-threatening form of leukemia who are resistant or intolerant to prior treatment including another Novartis drug Glivec (imatinib). Tasigna will be available within days to treat patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, which is one of the four most common types of leukemia, affecting around 4,500 people in the USA each year.

Taken twice daily, Tasigna works by inhibiting the proliferation of cells containing an abnormal chromosome by targeting the production of the Bcr-Abl protein. The first worldwide approval for the drug came in Switzerland in July. European Union approval is expected by the end of this year after receveiving a recommendation in September.