LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - Two new leukaemia drugs fromJohnson & Johnson and Gilead Sciences have beenrecommended for approval by European regulators, paving the wayfor formal approval in a couple of months.
The European Medicines Agency said on Friday its experts hadissued positive opinions for J&J's ibrutinib, developed withPharmacyclics, and Gilead's idelalisib.
Ibrutinib, marketed at Imbruvica, was approved by U.S.regulators for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)in February, while Gilead's idelalisib, which has the brand nameZydelig, was approved in the United States last month.
The approvals reflect a rapid pace of progress in treatingCLL, a slowly progressing form of blood cancer, as scientistsdevelop better ways to target the biological pathways involvedin the disease.
Last November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration alsoapproved Roche's Gazyva and the use of Arzerra, fromGlaxoSmithKline and Genmab, was expanded inApril 2014 to include CLL. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Tom Bergin)