Monday 25 August 2014

Exclusive: U.S. approval of Merck cancer immunotherapy expected soon

A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the drug would be the first in a promising new class designed to help the body's own immune system fend off cancer by blocking a protein known as Programmed Death receptor (PD-1), or a related target known as PD-L1, used by tumors to evade disease-fighting cells. Companies including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche Holding AG and AstraZeneca Plc are racing to develop similar treatments for a variety of cancers. The FDA is slated to decide on New Jersey-based Merck's application no later than October 28, but sources said the agency could give its approval within coming weeks. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the FDA's plans, also acknowledged that the early approval was not guaranteed.




via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News Read More Here..

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