(Adds details on GSK drug)
LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's melanoma drug Mekinist - one of several drugs being sold toNovartis under an asset swap deal - has beenrecommended for approval by European regulators.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday itsexperts had backed the drug, also known as trametinib, as atreatment for unresectable or metastatic melanoma in patientswith a mutation of a gene known as BRAF.
The watchdog also endorsed wider use of Bayer's Nexavar as a treatment for thyroid cancer.
Mekinist is one of three GSK cancer drugs that Novartisbelieves each have the potential to generate more than $1billion a year in sales under its ownership.
The medicine is already approved in the United States, whereregulators have also given a green light to a combination ofMekinist and another GSK drug called Tafinlar for treatingmelanoma.
By combining the two medicines, which work in a differentways, GSK believes that melanoma - the deadliest form of skincancer - can be held at bay for longer. This combination faces adelay in Europe, however, where regulators are seeking moreinformation.
Recommendations for marketing approval by the EMA'sCommittee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) arenormally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple ofmonths. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler. Editing by Jane Merriman)