FDA approves ibrutinib for mantle cell lymphoma

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to treat some people with mantle cell lymphoma. The drug is intended for patients who have stopped responding to treatment, or whose cancer has come back after treatment. Ibrutinib was granted “breakthrough therapy” status, which qualified it for faster FDA review. “Imbruvica’s approval demonstrates the FDA’s commitment to making treatments available to patients with rare diseases,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a statement. Read more here.