GlaxoSmithKline applies for new Tyverb indication

GlaxoSmithKline is applying for regulatory approval in the EU and US for a new indication of its breast cancer treatment Tyverb.

The company has submitted applications to the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration for the use of Tyverb in combination with trastuzumab to treat patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Known in the US as Tykerb, the lapatinib-based treatment option was first approved for use in combination therapy among metastatic disease patients in 2007, with 107 countries now having ratified the drug.

Rafael Amado, senior vice-president for oncology research and development at GlaxoSmithKline, said: "Tykerb/Tyverb is an important part of the GlaxoSmithKline oncology portfolio and the regulatory submissions … demonstrate our commitment to the field of HER2 positive disease."

Earlier this month, the pharmaceutical company published its financial results for 2011, reporting an annual sales total of 27.39 billion pounds and underlying sales growth of four percent.