IV Hycamtin wins EU approval as lung cancer treatment

The European Commission has granted Marketing Authorisation for Hycamtin for the treatment of relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients where re-treatment with the first-line regimen is not appropriate.

This is the first drug to be approved in Europe, indicated for this particular medical condition. Data from clinical trials show that its use is associated with prolonged survival and quality of life compared with best supportive care in patients battling the disease.

The chemotherapeutic agent belongs to a class of drugs known as topoisomerase I (topo-I) inhibitors, and works by inducing DNA damage which results in the death of dividing cells. It is already registered in the EU and 59 other countries around the world for the treatment of relapsed ovarian cancer following platinum-based therapy.

'The oral form of Hycamtin has shown promising and unexpected results in improving symptoms and lengthening the life of patients with relapsed SCLC, a disease that is traditionally associated with a grave outlook for patients,' said Dr Mary O'Brien, head of the Lung Cancer Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, UK. 'This approval of intravenous Hycamtin will now provide physicians and our patients an important new treatment option in SCLC.'

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world attributing to 13.2% of all cancer cases. About 20 in every 100 cases diagnosed are SCLC.