Novartis receives EU lung cancer approval for Zykadia

Novartis has announced that its drug Zykadia has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of certain lung cancer patients.

The therapy has been ratified for the treatment of adult patients with ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with crizotinib, making it the first drug to be approved for this indication.

This approval was based on two studies demonstrating Zykadia was able to shrink the tumours of patients in this group, while those with brain metastases at baseline also responded to treatment.

Zykadia is also approved in ten other countries, including the US, with additional regulatory filings now underway worldwide.

Bruno Strigini, president of Novartis Oncology, said: "This approval is yet another example of our commitment to precision oncology and our continued focus on developing treatment approaches that target specific genetic and molecular characteristics of cancer."

Last month, the company reported positive results from a phase III trial of Arzerra, demonstrating its efficacy in the treatment of relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.