FDA approves Bayer's Nexavar for thyroid cancer

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals for treating thyroid cancer, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the approval of Nexavar (sorafenib) to treat late-stage differentiated thyroid cancer. The drug was already approved for kidney and liver cancers. The drug works by limiting cancer cell growth and replication by inhibiting proteins within the cells.

"Differentiated thyroid cancer can be challenging to treat, especially when unresponsive to conventional therapies," FDA Office of Hematology and Oncology Products Richard Pazdur said. "Today's approval demonstrates the FDA's commitment to expediting the availability of treatment options for patients with difficult-to-treat diseases."