New Prescriptions Drug for Kidney Cancer Approved to Treat Brain Tumors
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The FDA has approved a prescriptions drug originally designed to treat advanced kidney cancer to treat brain tumors that are caused by rare genetic diseases. A rare genetic condition caused Tuberous Sclerosis causes non cancerous tumors in the brain that cannot be removed via surgery. TS affects up to 40,000 people in the U.S., with tumors developing in up to 20% of sufferers. Tumors caused by TS are called subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) in the brain, and can spread to other parts of the body.
Prescriptions Drug Afinitor and Its Applications
The FDA has approved the prescriptions drug Afinitor to remove benign tumors in different areas of the body such as the eyes, lungs and kidneys. The drug has only been approved for use in cases where removal via surgery would be impossible.
Afinitor, manufactured by Swiss pharmaceutical Novartis, showed considerable promise in studies undertaken at the Cincinnati Children’s hospital. Among the positive results to have arisen from the tests, patients who took the prospective prescription drug did not grow any additional tumors and a few even experienced tumor shrinkages of more than 50%.
Can Consumers Expect to See Prescriptions Drug Afinitor on Pharmacy Shelves Anytime Soon?
Afinitor has been given fast-track approval in the U.S. while physicians continue to explore the few treatment options available to sufferers of TS. The prescriptions drug Afinitor is also currently conducting Phase III clinical trials across Europe and has been approved by the European Union to treat kidney cancer.
