Bristol Myers Squibb product granted priority review

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has granted the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) compound ixabepilone priority review status.

Ixabepilone is an epothilone B analogue and the new drug application for the investigational compound has been accepted for filing and review by the FDA.

BMS has said that the priority review is expected to be actioned in October, with the compound expected to be used in the treatment of breast cancer.

Ixabepilone would be used as a monotherapy to treat patients with metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer after failure of an anthracycline, a taxane and capecitabine. It could also be used in combination with capecitabine when treatment with an anthracycline and a taxane has failed.

BMS has said that there are currently “few” options for breast cancer patients where the cancer has progressed rapidly or where chemotherapies such as anthracycline and taxane have failed.

The company has global sales of $17.9 billion and employs some 43,000 people worldwide, according to the BMS website.