Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie Blood Cancer Drug To Potentially Receive FDA Approval

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The latest in cancer treatment news explains that a new drug designed specifically for blood cancer may be on its way to receiving FDA approval. The drug, known as elotuzumab, comes from Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie. The two have planned to market this multiple myeloma treatment as “Empliciti,” and have labeled it for those patients who have already been through one or more rounds of therapy treatment, explains FierceBiotech. As it has been given priority review by the FDA, we should know if the drug is approved within the next 6 months.

The history of elotuzumab

Though this is recent news, the drug has been up in the air since 2008. At this time, Bristol-Myers licensed it from PDL BioPharma for the high price of $30 million. When AbbVie emerged in 2013, they and Bristol-Myers paired together and continued to work on the drug that could potentially bring relief for those who suffer from multiple myeloma.

The research

FierceBiotech reports that in Phase III results, the combination of elotuzumab, Celgene’s Revlimid and the generic dexamethasone proved its worth by beating two older drugs. However, before that, due to its success in Phase II, the FDA granted it “breakthrough-therapy designation” earlier on. This allows the creators of the drug to access high level officials throughout the entire process of being developed.

To learn more about elotuzumab and its path to FDA approval, please click here.

At PBIRx, we work hard to stay on top of all of the latest pharmaceutical news to ensure that we are prepared for any new approvals before they come. If you have questions about this blood cancer drug and how it may impact your pharmacy benefit plan if it should be approved, please contact us to learn more about how our services can help; we can be reached at (888) 797-2479 or through our contact form on our website.

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PBIRx®

Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits

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(888) 797-2479

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