Ixempra, a semisynthetic analog of epothilone B, will be available within days.
FDA gave Bristol-Myers Squibb the go ahead for its first breast cancer drug, Ixempra. The therapy is a microtubule inhibitor belonging to the epothilones class of antineoplastic agents. Bristol-Myers Squibb anticipates that Ixempra will be available in a few days.
The agency sanctioned the drug as a monotherapy for metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer in patients whose tumors are refractory to anthracyclines, taxanes, and capecitabine.
“Previously, patients with aggressive metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer no longer responding to currently available chemotherapies had limited treatment options,” points out Linda Vahdat, M.D., who was part of the clinical development team and is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “The approval of Ixempra means that we now have an important new option for patients with metastatic breast cancer who have rapidly progressed through currently approved chemotherapies.”
