FDA approves new indication for Novartis' Gleevec

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Novartis that is designed to prevent tumors in the gastrointestinal tract from recurring after surgical removal, the agency said.



The FDA approved Novartis' Gleevec (imatinib) for adults who have had gastrointestinal stromal tumors, or GIST, removed. The drug was specifically approved for people whose tumors are known as CD117-positive, which includes 95% of all GIST tumors.



The drug was originally approved in 2001 for a type of leukemia.

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