JERUSALEM: Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has moved closer to selling its Lonquex drug for the treatment of neutropenia, a complication of chemotherapy, after a panel recommended its sale in the European Union.
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that a marketing authorisation be issued in the EU for Lonquex for the reduction of neutropenia, Teva said on Monday.
"The CHMP positive opinion opens the way to a final approval decision from the European Commission expected within the next few months," said Teva, the world's largest generics drugmaker.
Teva, which is stepping up efforts to sell branded drugs, said it was seeking to provide new treatment options for cancer patients, a key area for the company.
Neutropenia is a common and potentially hazardous complication of chemotherapy treatment characterised by a decreased level of white blood cells, which can expose the patient to serious bacterial infections, Teva said. (Reuters)
