Nexavar, the drug developed by Bayer and Amgen unit Onyx Pharmaceuticals to treat advanced kidney and liver cancers, has been approved for the treatment of the most common form of thyroid cancer.
The European Commission has given the green light for Nexavar (otherwise known as sorafenib) to be used to treat metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma that is refractory to radioactive iodine treatment, reports PharmaTimes.
The approval is based upon data from a trial showing that the oral multi-kinase inhibitor extended progression-free survival by 41% compared to placebo (10.8 months versus 5.8 months).
"We are proud to extend this proven treatment option to even more people in need," said Joerg Moeller, head of global development at Bayer HealthCare.
The drug was approved for the thyroid cancer indication by the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2013. There are more than 298,000 new cases of thyroid cancer annually and nearly 40,000 people die from the disease worldwide each year.
