The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given its backing to Benlysta, a treatment developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for those suffering from lupus.
Those in pharmaceutical jobs at GSK may soon be seeing the drug, which is aimed at patients with active autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus, in use around Europe after the CHMP recommended it be awarded marketing authorisation.
GSK has worked with Human Genome Sciences (HGS) to develop the drug and president and chief executive officer of HGS H Thomas Watkins said the two firms are "committed to making Benlysta available in countries worldwide".
"We look forward to working alongside GSK to make Benlysta available to patients," he added.
Chairman of research and development at GSK Moncef Slaoui praised the CHMP's decision, describing it as a "major milestone" in the development programme for the pharmaceutical.
The move comes shortly after GSK and Valeant Pharmaceuticals secured marketing authorisation from the European Commission for Trobalt, which acts as an add-on treatment for sufferers of partial onset seizures.