A newly-developed drug for myelogenous leukemia has received approval for production and sale from the authorities.
Supect, developed by Ilyang Pharm, has passed safety and effectiveness tests, becoming the 18th new drug developed by a local pharmaceutical company,the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) said Thursday.
It will be prescribed for patients with a characteristic chromosomal translocation called the Philadelphia chromosome who develop a tolerance to existing drugs.
It has taken 10 years for the firm to develop the medicine which is expected to play an important role in treating patients with leukemia as many worldwide have developed a tolerance to inhibitors of tyrosine kinase such as Gleevec, the administration said.
“The development of the new drug is an important breakthrough here and in other countries as many leukemia patients have become tolerant to existing medicines,” a KFDA official said.