In the News: Tasigna® Approved for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tasigna® (nilotinib) for the treatment of chronic and accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) for patients who are not able to tolerate or who have stopped responding to Gleevec® (imatinib).
Tasigna® is an agent that also targets the same protein as Gleevec but through a different mechanism. Some trials have indicated that Tasigna is more potent than Gleevec; however, further study is necessary for this determination.
CML is a cancer that originates in the white blood cells, affecting approximately 4,600 people annually in the U.S. In the case of CML, large numbers of young WBCs do not mature, resulting in an excess accumulation of these cells.
Tasigna® is manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
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