Staff in regulatory affairs jobs at Lilly have been granted a positive recommendation for the use of lung cancer drug Alimta in a groundbreaking new application.
The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has endorsed the drug as a continuation maintenance therapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer, based on positive trial results.
Should the product now receive the backing of the European Commission, it would become the first continuation maintenance therapy option for lung cancer, a relatively new concept in this area.
This model involves using the same drug as a long-term maintenance treatment as was utilised as a first-line therapy, rather than switching to a different compound.
Dr Allen Melemed, senior medical director for Alimta at Lilly Oncology, said: "Lung cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and new therapy options are much needed."
Alimta is already approved in the EU and US in first-line, maintenance and second-line settings for this disease.
Clinical study data released this week shows that it can be an effective continuation maintenance therapy even among those aged over 70.