Indevus seeks FDA nod for bladder drug

Specialty drug maker Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc. said today it applied to the Food and Drug Administration to reintroduce the bladder cancer drug Valstar to the market.

Indevus acquired rights to Valstar when it closed its acquisition of Valera Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Tuesday. Valstar, which is the only approved drug to treat a type of bladder cancer that does not respond to Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, was taken off the market in 2002 because an inactive ingredient in the drug was found to be unstable.

The company believes it has solved the stability issue through improved manufacturing processes, and hopes to reintroduce the drug by the end of the year. (AP)