LONDON (Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Friday that it had received EU marketing authorisation for trametinib, under the name Mekinist, as a treatment for unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation.
The drug blocks the activity of a protein kinase called MEK. Some mutations in the BRAF gene can cause the MEK protein to stimulate cancer growth, so the drug can potentially be used to slow tumour growth.
Mekinist was in-licensed by Glaxo in 2006.
"We welcome today?s decision of the European Commission. MEK has been pursued as a therapeutic target in cancer for more than a decade, and Mekinist is the first medicine in this class to be licensed in Europe," said Glaxo's President of Oncology Paolo Paoletti in a statement.
Earlier on Friday the company also announced, along with Theravance Inc, that its Anoro Ellipta treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had been approved in Japan.
Shares in Glaxo were trading down 0.4% at 1,577.00 pence Friday afternoon.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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