Novartis receives EU approval for multiple myeloma therapy Farydak

Novartis has announced that Farydak, the first in a class of anticancer agents, has been approved in Europe for patients with multiple myeloma.

The drug has been approved in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior regimens, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent.

This marks the first time a histone deacetylase inhibitor with epigenetic activity has been made available in the EU, providing a new treatment option for patients living with multiple myeloma whose disease has progressed after standard-of-care therapy.

Farydak has proven its safety and efficacy in pivotal phase III clinical trials and is the first therapy of its kind to prove effective in this indication.

Bruno Strigini, president of Novartis Oncology, said: "With the approval of Farydak in the EU, we hope to address critically important treatment needs faced by the multiple myeloma community-disease progression and treatment resistance."

This comes after the firm received EU approval for Revolade as a treatment for adults with severe aplastic anaemia earlier this month.