FDA approves Celgene lung-cancer drug

SUMMIT, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved an injected drug for lung cancer made by Celgene, the company said Friday.

Celgene announced the approval of Abraxane (paclitaxel) protein-bound particles for injectable suspension, for the first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer that has advanced locally or spread to other parts of the body, in combination with carboplatin, for patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation therapy.

"Non-small cell is the most common type of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States," said Mark Socinski, director of the lung cancer section in the division of hematology and oncology at the University of Pittsburgh and lead investigator in the phase-2 and phase-3 clinical trials of the drug. "The FDA approval of Abraxane is exciting for healthcare professionals because it offers an important new treatment option for all types of non-small cell lung cancer patients, in an area that has seen few treatment advancements in recent years."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, and more than 150,000 died from it. Non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, accounts for 87% of lung cancer cases.

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