Bayer HealthCare receives thyroid cancer approval for Nexavar

Bayer HealthCare has announced that its drug Nexavar has been approved in Europe as a treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer.

The oral multi-kinase inhibitor, which was developed alongside Amgen subsidiary Onyx Pharmaceuticals, has been granted marketing authorisation for the treatment of patients with progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma, refractory to radioactive iodine.

It represents the third approved indication for Nexavar in Europe and comes after the drug demonstrated its safety and efficacy in the treatment of this disease in the phase III Decision trial, which involved 417 patients.

Nexavar was shown to significantly extend progression-free survival rates among patients, while its safety and tolerability profile was consistent with existing data.

Dr Joerg Moeller, member of the Bayer HealthCare executive committee and head of global development, said: "Differentiated thyroid cancer is a rare but serious disease, with patients who were lacking new treatment options for over forty years."

This follows the US Food and Drug Administration's decision to approve Nexavar in the same indication last year.