GSK lung cancer treatment gets EU orphan drug status

(Sharecast News) - GSK on Tuesday said its treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) had received orphan drug status from the European Medicines Agency. The antibody-drug conjugate is known as GSK'227 and the designation was supported by preliminary clinical data showing durable responses in patients with extensive stage SCLC who were treated with GSK'227 in a phase one clinical trial.

"This ODD recognises the potential of GSK'227 to address a significant unmet need for extensive stage-SCLC, an aggressive type of pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma with poor outcomes and limited treatment options. An estimated 250,000 patients globally are diagnosed with SCLC each year and it is responsible for approximately 200,000 deaths annually," GSK said in a statement.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com