Lilly’s Gemzar Gets Fourth Approval

Eli Lilly and Co. received approval from the FDA for Gemzar for use in the treatment of women living with recurrent ovarian cancer. This marks the fourth approval Gemzar has been granted by the FDA.

The approval specifies that Gemzar be used in combination with carboplatin, a widely-used agent, for women with advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least six months after initial therapy. Clinical data showed that patients treated with a combination of Gemzar and carboplatin experienced a significant improvement in progression-free survival and response rates compared to carboplatin alone.

Gemzar has been on the market in the U.S. for 10 years and is approved in more than 90 countries. It is Lilly’s second best-selling drug and last year generated sales of $1.3 billion.