AstraZeneca receives approval for thyroid cancer drug Caprelsa

AstraZeneca has been granted European marketing authorisation for Caprelsa, its new treatment for aggressive and symptomatic medullary thyroid cancer.

The European Commission has ratified the therapy for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic cases of the disease, following the recommendation of its Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use in November 2011.

Caprelsa becomes the first approved therapy for this condition in Europe, having proven its efficacy in reducing the risk of disease progression in phase III clinical trials.

The product was given orphan drug status and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in April 2011, while authorities in countries such as Russia, Switzerland, Brazil and Australia are also reviewing it.

Dr James Vasselli, Caprelsa medical science director at AstraZeneca, said: "It is the first advance of its kind for this devastating disease and we are delighted Caprelsa has been approved for use in Europe."

Last month, the company announced a new collaboration with IMS Health, which will allow AstraZeneca to utilise real-world European patient data in its medical research.