FDA to review Merck, Ariad drug for bone, soft-tissue sarcomas

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application from Merck and Ariad Pharmaceuticals for a new drug to treat soft-tissue and bone cancers, the drug makers said Wednesday.

The FDA is expected to complete its review of ridaforolimus for soft-tissue and bone sarcomas in patients who have shown a favorable response to chemotherapy by second quarter 2012.

Sarcomas are cancers of the body's connective tissues, and treatment options remain limited, the companies said.

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