Novartis seeks approval for rare cancer treatment

Novartis has filed applications in Europe and the US to develop treatment for a series of rare cancers.

The pharmaceutical firm has confirmed that it has submitted Glivec (imatinib), known as Gleevec, for approval on both sides of the Atlantic.

The tablets would be used to target cancers of different origin and location, but, by focusing on shared common pathways, the treatment can prove effective in a number of different areas.

Novartis global head of clinical development Diane Young said the submission of the treatment was part of a new era in cancer treatment.

“Thanks to the success of targeted therapies like Glivec, these filings speak to the fundamental shift that we are seeing in the approach to cancer treatment,” she said.

“One day, cancer may no longer be classified by site, or even by single genes or proteins, but instead by the way in which the cancer is expressed. This could potentially give rise to more targeted treatment options such as Glivec.”

Diseases which have proved responsive to Glivec’s targeting of the protein tyrosine kinases include solid tumour dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, as well as three hematologic diseases.

Novartis says that some of the diseases which have Glivec-sensitive pathways are potentially fatal, with some of the rarer cancers having no alternative treatment.

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