FDA approves Millennium drug to treat a form of lymphoma
Cambridge drug maker Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today that it has won federal approval for wider use of its most important drug, Velcade.
Velcade is currently a treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of blood disease, but Millennium said that the US Food and Drug Administration has now also approved Velcade for the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma, or MCL, who have received at least one prior therapy.
About 10,000 Americans have MCL, according to Millennium.
"Velcade is the first drug to receive FDA approval in relapsed mantle cell lymphoma," Millennium chief executive Deborah Dunsire said in a statement.
She added, "This represents a new option for a patients and a significant milestone for Millennium."
In mid-afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, company shares were up 15 cents to $11.41.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
