The drug had already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating leprosy. But the company needs final approval to market it as a drug that treats a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, reports The Associated Press.
In Celgene's trial, 270 patients who were given Thalmoid in addition to the synthetic steroid dexamethasone went an average of 75.7 weeks before their disease progressed, compared with 27.9 weeks in patients given dexamethasone alone.
Moreover, patients who received Thalmoid survived an average of 55.7 weeks without disease progression, versus 24.3 weeks in the dexamethasone-only group, reports the AP.
About 200,000 patients worldwide have multiple myeloma.
